Cowboy gunning for shed of the year
FOR many, the garden shed is little more than a musty store for old flowerpots and dried-up bags of compost.
But Alistair Baranowski has spent more than £500 turning his shed into a haven of tranquillity.
His Wild West saloon, a nuclear bunker and a converted ship’s wheelhouse may stretch the definition of a garden shed to the limit, but they have won their Scottish creators a place on the 32-strong shortlist for Shed of the Year.
Mr Baranowski’s ‘Tranquility Saloon’ is the focal point of his Aberdeenshire garden. He joked: ‘It has an unlicensed bar – folks bring their own booze – a pot belly stove and plenty of floor space in case of brawls.’
Meanwhile, buried 20ft below ground in a farmer’s field, encased in concrete and accessible only by a hatch and ladder, a three-man nuclear bunker built at the height of the Cold War has been carefully restored by Jim Sherrit.
On his entry form for the annual contest, Mr Sherrit, of Brechin, Angus, wrote: ‘It is the ideal place to stop the world and step off for a while.’
The third Scottish finalist is David Carter, who spent around £250 renovating a boat’s wheelhouse, now named the Maggie Ewing after his mother, which now occupies pride of place in his garden in Wick, Caithness.
He said: ‘My shed is a place of rest and relaxation and a great place for telling sea tales to my young son.’
The shortlist was whittled down from 2,825 hopefuls to a final 32 hoping to be named the Cuprinol Shed of the Year.
The sheds will feature on TV show Amazing Spaces Shed Of The Year, on Channel 4 and the public can vote until June 8. To have your say, visit www.readersheds.co.uk/vote2016