WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT!
Shed built around a tree voted UK’s best
IT might look rather drab – and a little wonky – from the outside.
But enter this shed and you find yourself in a colourful world full of curios, decorated with African carvings and fabric, with a mature ash tree growing through its centre.
The Bedouin Tree-Shed in Blackheath, south London, yesterday won the Cuprinol Shed Of The Year competition and is described by creator Daniel Holloway, 55, as ‘a chaotic shed from the outside, but serene and calming once you step inside’.
Inspired by parts of the world he has travelled to and a love of nature, the structure has been an eight-year labour of love for expedition organiser Mr Holloway, who built it around two living tree trunks in his back garden.
It contains a host of treasures from Mr Holloway’s extensive travels through Africa and is built around the trunk of an evergreen oak as well as the ash.
The interior is also decorated with specimens of butterflies alongside finely carved ancient hardwood Indian columns. It also has a wood-burning stove and furniture retrieved from skips. The floor is made of oak planks and follows the contours of the trees inside.
There were 27 finalists in the competition. Mr Holloway’s shed topped the competition’s ‘nature’s haven’ category in a public vote before being awarded the overall title by a panel of judges. He receives £1,000.
Adrian Backshall, 59, from Eastbourne, won the ‘unique’ category with Old Bill – a shed built on to a railway trolley that rolls on rails, while Julie Twydell, 39, from Bromley in Kent won the ‘budget’ category with her Hobbit House.
And Mark Killick, from Farnborough, Hampshire, won for ‘pub/entertainment with Pallet Hollywood – a backgarden pub which boasts a hot tub and a stash of original 80s vinyls, a TV and a dartboard.