Sparsholt: Dylan Thomas' writing shed at Chelsea Flower Show

Every year we do our best to round up the best garden offices and shedlike atmospheres at Chelsea Flower Show. Every year we miss something really impressive. This year it's the turn of Sparsholt College whose Gold winning garden 'Phyto Inspiration' focused on the plants that have inspired artists, architects, musicians and poets (they also won Best Continuous Learning Exhibit). The team of 16 students and lecturer Chris Bird concentrated particularly on a recreation of Dylan Thomas’ writing shed (pictured above). The shed also features in the latest Three Men Went to Mow video series put together by some of the UK's finest gardeners who, frankly, are just mucking about a bit...

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Edward Elgar: possible shedworker

There's no actual proof that composer Edward Elgar wrote any of his music in his summerhouse. On the other hand, it beggars belief that he didn't at least hum a few bars in there to try ideas out. In any case, the lovely thatched summerhouse in his cottage garden at the Elgar Birthplace Museum, Lowere Broadheath, Worcester, has been given a wash and brush up and is now in fine condition again.

It was originally in the garden of his last home, Rainbow Hill, Worcester, but when that was demolished the summerhouse was saved and donated to the museum in 1982. Thatching has been completed by local experts Jem Raison and Paul Clemons and now means the public can again sit in the master's favourite shedlike atmosphere.
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1,570 sheds, 11,000 votes, here are the winners...

The biggest shed event of the year is nearing its climax. After a hectic few weeks of voting, here are the category winners for Shed of the Year 2011.

Shed 1) Normal Shed
Mysterious Shed, Birgit Gova, Four Oaks, West Midlands

Shed 2) Eco Shed
The Ark, Chris,Wiltshire

Shed 3) Garden Office
Calum's Shed (Mary's Meals International HQ), Mary's Meals, Craig Lodge, Dalmally, Argyll (pictured above)

Shed 4)Cabin/Summerhouse
Pretty pink palace, Mags Ambler

Shed 5)Workshop/Studio
Songs from the Shed, Jon Earl,Clevedon N Somerset

Shed 6) Unique
Pop's Diner, Paul Suidowski

Shed 7) Pub
The George & The Dragon, George Blackwell, Maidenhead

Shed 8) Tardis
BlueBox Type 40, John Williams, Newport, South Wales

Shed 9) Other
The Bygones Museum, GT Yarmouth, Norfolk

All the details over at Shedblog, home of that most industrious sheddie Uncle Wilco. Now the judging panel - including Sarah Beeny, Gordon Thorburn, Wilco, last year's winner Reg, and myself - sit in judgement to decide which one will walk away with the coveted first prize...
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Coming very soon...

thanks for all your votes sheddies - been a tough fought competition this year - Category winners announced tomorrow #shedweekless than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Replyuncle wilco
unclewilco

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Tramworking

Better known as shepherds' hut experts, Plankbridge are now going to restore Bournemouth tram number 113, as Richard Lee of Plankbridge explains in the video above, and turn it into an office. The tram was built by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company of Loughborough in 1926. Only six Bournemouth trams are known to be still in existence.
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Campaign for a thousand huts

The Reforesting Scotland Journal aims to "spread information about ecological and social regeneration of Scotland" and each issue is themed. The current issue is all about 'Woodland shelter', or huts/sheds, and marks the launch of Reforesting Scotland's Campaign for a Thousand Huts which takes place officially on June 15 in Edinburgh. This will promote "hutting" as a valuable and acceptable way of woodland living, working and learning. Here's some information from the organisers:

Hutting in Scotland has its roots in working class culture and has provided an affordable means for people from towns and cities to enjoy the countryside. With little money, hutters took out a small stake in marginal land to create a powerful symbol of freedom, enterprise and independence – building simple homes and shaping their own place, culture and community. The Carbeth hutters are best known and grew to prominence at the height of land reform in Scotland in the 1990s when their landlord sought to carry out a twentieth century clearance.

A further expansion of hutting could promote sustainable living, social benefits to disadvantaged groups, recreational opportunities, and a practical, sustainable and affordable form of housing, educational and adventure opportunities utilising practical woodland management and woodworking skills.

You can download electronic versions of several of the issue's articles from their site here including articles by Ben Law and, ahem, a nice review of the Shedworking book (which you can read here).
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Euan Gray: The Bothy

Those of you who missed out on the Ideal Home Show in Scotland this year missed a treat, Euan Gray's Bothy. "The idea behind The Bothy project is to create a kit-build, semi-permanent structure that can be fitted into gardens, existing ruins, foundations, forests, forgotten places," he says, "the kind seen frequently throughout Scotland as a result of highland clearances, declining rural populations and the changing use of the landscape. This is a small attempt to reconnect with those places and keep the memories alive."

The Bothy was built from locally sourced, low impact and readily available materials, and is fully recyclable. It features a sleeping area/futon, storage unit, fold-out picnic table, seating area and fold-away wood burning stove, in a 2.3m x 3.2m shell. And do have a browse around the rest of the projects on his web site which features more detail about the Bothy project as well as a chimpanzee house.
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