Potential garden office police box to auction

A police box on Pleasance, Edinburgh, described by the sellers as having distinct garden office potential comes up for sale in a live-streamed commercial property auction later this month.

The box- which has a guide price of £5,000 -  is currently located  off the busy crossroads between Cowgate, Pleasance, Holyrood Road and St Mary’s Street within the popular Old Town district of Edinburgh.

Hannah Barnett, commercial surveyor at Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, said: “The police box presents a unique opportunity to acquire a sought-after piece of street furniture in an ever-popular location in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Originally designed and constructed in the 1930s, this iconic feature of Edinburgh’s history could be re-purposed and relocated to another location to provide for example, a garden office, bar or a coffee kiosk, food stall or something else entirely.”

The box is offered for sale as a moveable item with no interest in the land upon which it presently sits. Any purchaser wishing to keep the box in its current location should liaise with City of Edinburgh Council regarding the possibility of entering a ground lease. There are currently no supplies of services to the box.

The auction will be held on October 17 at 2:30pm. For more details go to www.shepherd.co.uk/commercial-auctions

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Shed of the Year 2019: Bux End

Congratulations to Chris Hield from Buxton who has won this year's Shed of the Year competition sponsored by Cuprinol with Bux End, a shed inspired by The Hobbit. More than 16,000 votes for 3,000 entrants in seven categories were cast this year, the 13th time it has run.

“I’m delighted – and in shock!" he told competition organiser Uncle Wilco. "We are massive Lord of the Rings fans so when we decided to build our own shed we knew it had to be a hobbit hole. It had to fit in with the wildlife and nature that we have cultivated in the rest of our garden so the grass roof was a big feature. Whenever we got any seeds for wild flowers we have just thrown them over the top of the shed and they have thrived."

In addition to the prestigious title, Chris wins £1,000, a wooden plaque, £100 worth of Cuprinol products and a massive crown for his shed. For more details see Uncle Wilco's Shed Blog and for more images of Bux End, go to its section on readersheds.co.uk.

And we were delighted that Mary Price's Artistintheshed won the workshop/studio category, the closest to a garden office section since that was discontinued some years ago. We've profiled Mary before on Shedworking and suggested it was a strong contender.

-------------------------------------------------------

Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Mary Price: shedworker

There's an interview with Bristol-based artist Mary Price (who we mentioned last week as a finalist in the Shed of the Year 2019 competition) who works out of her Dunster House Lantera log cabin on the Dunster blog. Here's a snippet:

I have always painted, but since having a studio in my garden, my practice has transformed. For years I worked at the dining table and had to pack everything away after each painting session. Now I can leave work on the easel or table and carry on where I left off without having to set up art supplies each and every time. I still really appreciate this.

You can vote for Mary's shed here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Shed of the Year finalists announced

The finalists in this year's Cuprinol Shed of the Year have been announced as the judges have whittled down the entries from hundreds to just three finalists per category - these will go head-to-shed in a bid to win the coveted title. This year a new category has been added with entrants being invited to show off their 'Nature’s Haven' with designs inspired by nature and the other categories are Unexpected, Cabin/Summerhouse, Workshop and Studio, Pub and Entertainment, Budget and Unique.

The two that particularly caught the Shedworking staff's eye were Mary Price's blue artist’s workshop in Bristol (above and here if you want to vote) and Stuart Campbell's The Ark (top and here if you want to vote for it) where he makes musical instruments and small furniture, but there are plenty more examples including for those who like a bit of 'thats not a shed' controversy, a live-in shed/lorry in Hampshire, a Shakespeare themed boat-come-shed, and a playhouse that required planning permission

A winner from each category will be decided by a public vote, then an overall winner will be crowned by a panel of shed experts with a giant golden crown for the winning shed. The best shed will receive £1,000, a plaque, and £100 of Cuprinol products.

Head judge and founder of the competition, Andrew Wilcox, said: “We’ve been absolutely blown away by the incredible, imaginative and innovative sheds entered into this year’s competition. Every year there are more and more outstanding entries that take us by surprise. The creativity and imagination of all entrants never fail to amaze the judges. This year’s bunch are second to none. We’ve been really impressed by the aesthetics of the sheds - especially those that entered the brand new Nature’s Haven category with entrants really demonstrating how important it is to welcome nature into our lives and our gardens.”

Public voting is now underway for the 13th annual competition and will close on 29 August. You can cast your vote at www.readersheds.co.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master: garden offices and studios to fit any size garden. Top quality contemporary or traditional buildings.