Caravans of love

A nice piece in the Daily Telegraph by Zoe Dare Hall looks at the use of shepherds' huts and gypsy caravans as garden retreats and garden offices. As she says: "Gipsy caravans have become a fashionable accessory for those seeking a garden hideaway that can serve as a playroom, office, extra bedroom or limitless other uses, as those who handmake the colourful contraptions have discovered." Here's a snippet:

For Hugh Chapman from Gypsy Caravans UK, it was Wind in The Willows rather than Danny the Champion of the World that inspired him to start restoring original gipsy caravans from the 1850s, which he sells from £4,000 to £12,000. "I've had orders from pubs who use them as smoking rooms outside and people who buy them to run as B & Bs. But most people want them as extra accommodation or garden offices," he says of the traditional wagons – or vardos – that are typically about 10ft long and 6ft wide, with a wood and canvas barrel-shaped roof, and a stove and bed inside.

An excllent piece with good links to useful sites.