that little hut with a balcony in front

[Coffee Break]

I encountered the expression "that little hut with a balcony in front", but am finding it difficult to understand it. Could you please let me know what it means? Here is the excerpt:

Mrs. Haykin talked on—the words falling over themselves to get free. Were they taking sandwiches in the train? That's right! So much better than bits of chocolate, and oranges. Were they going to hire that little hut with a balcony in front? Of course it was a luxury, but why not? It was just those little extras that made all the difference. She remembered--

- R. C. Sherriff, The Fortnight in September, Chapter 5

This is a novel published in 1931, which describes a fortnight in September in which an English family consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, Mary, Dick, and Ernie go on a holiday. On the day of departure, Mary is now at Mrs. Haykin, who lives next door, to ask her to take care of Joe, the canary, during their absence. Mrs. Haykin is eager to listen everything about the journey, and asking Mary questions.

In this part, I am not sure what the underlined expression means, especially what "in front ("front" as an uncountable noun)" means.

Would that perhaps mean:
1) The bathing hut has a balcony, and is located at the beachfront;
2) The bathing hut has a balcony, at the front side of its structure...?

These are just my humble guesses, and I am not sure which one might be correct.

 

[5jj]

I imagine it's a hut with a small balcony built onto the front of it. I would not think it was a beach hut.

 

[Amigos4]

I imagine it's a hut with a small balcony built onto the front of it. I would not think it was a beach hut.

Amazon Book Review: This charming, timeless classic about a family of five setting out on their annual seaside vacation is “the most uplifting, life-affirming novel I can think of...the beautiful dignity to be found in everyday living has rarely been captured more delicately” (Kazuo Ishiguro).

 

[Coffee Break]

@5jj and @Amigos4,

Thank you very much for the explanations.

Amazon Book Review: This charming, timeless classic about a family of five setting out on their annual seaside vacation is “the most uplifting, life-affirming novel I can think of...the beautiful dignity to be found in everyday living has rarely been captured more delicately” (Kazuo Ishiguro).

Yes indeed, that was why I was confused with this "front"! The bathing hut has a balcony in front of it, and also it is located at the seaside (seafront)...
It is described that they changed their clothes into bathing suits in that bathing hut, so I guess it would be some small space for changing clothes...

In case this might be helpful, here is another instance in this book, where "in front" related to the hut and the balcony is used:

There are two kinds of bathing hut at Bognor: the ordinary little hut, shaped like a large sentry box, and the better kind, much roomier—with a small balcony in front.

I sincerely appreciate your help.

 

[5jj]

I was clearly wrong about it not being a bathing hut. I have seen many bathing huts in my life, but never one with a balcony. We live and learn.

 

[Skrej]

Perhaps I'm confused on the meaning of a bathing hut - I took it to mean those small single story boxes used to change on the beach (or perhaps provide sun protection) - what I'd call a 'beach hut'. It sits right on the sand fairly close to the water.

However, when I google 'bathing hut', I predominately get images of Victorian era stalls on wheels.

Although, when I click on the "English" option from image search on bathing huts, they seem to be a more sophisticated structure that sets back from the waterfront a bit.

My understanding of 'balcony' requires it to be accessible only from an upper story of a building. Are there really multi-story bathing huts?! I see some images of several on stilts and many with decks, but none that I'd call a true balcony. They all seem to be single level.

 

[Barque]

I assumed the word "balcony" here refers to a porch or a veranda. I imagine it was useful as a place to wipe the sand off your feet and take things out of bags, and maybe it had a chair or two to sit down on.

It would have ensured that the actual changing area inside didn't get too dirty. Whoever was in charge of the huts could have the porch cleaned every now and then; the inside area probably got cleaned less often as it was likely to be in use throughout the day.

 

[Rover_KE]

But a balcony isn't a porch. In most cases, you'd have to walk through the hut and up the steps to reach the balcony.

 

[Skrej]

That was my question - whether 'balcony' was used in the same sense in BrE as AmE. It appears it is - something you can only access from inside the building and is not ground level.

The novel is from 1931. Perhaps usage of the terms 'balcony' or 'hut' has changed, but it seems unlikely something like these would be substantial enough to support more than one level to entertain a true balcony.

Side note: Rover, I hope that's not your balcony. I'm not sure I'd trust the balcony in your image to support me. It looks a bit rough!

 

[Coffee Break]

@5jj, @Skrej, @Barque and @Rover_KE,

Thank you very much for the explanations and the picture.
Yes indeed, I also imagined that this "balcony" would be built at an upper floor, and so, I imagined that this "bathing hut" would be a multi-storied structure.

Indeed, this is written in 1931, so it is hard to imagine what this "bathing hut with a balcony" would have looked like, but I guess it might be a structure of two stories at least to have a balcony in front of the structure.

And so, I guess "in front" in "with a balcony in front" means "in front of" the structure (bathing hut), rather than the "beachfront."

I learned many things all thanks to you. I truly appreciate your help.