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The shed in English Culture

A motorised shed has broken the world speed record for such vehicles by reaching 100 mph along Pendine Sands.  This is one of those very English, very eccentric stories about single-minded inventors who spend time and money turning their somewhat crazy inspirations into factual experiences.

 

The shed occupies a distinctive role in English culture.  The shed is a retreat, a hideaway where people can retreat temporarily from the cares and clutter of the world outside.  True, it is somewhere you can put stuff that you can’t put anywhere else. It might store tools, garden equipment, or even a bicycle, but it also has the distinctive role of providing a space where a person can relax in solitude.  A shed is somewhere a person can think.

 

Now it can be debated whether or not it needs to travel at 100 mph, but it remains true that a motorized shed can change its location.  If the noise of the children playing, or the demands of the house are too close at hand, a roadworthy shed can move to a more peaceful location, maybe somewhere near quiet woods, or maybe on a cliff overlooking the soothing sight and sound of waves breaking below.  

 

A motorized shed brings many possibilities in its wake.  It could substitute for a caravan in a low-cost holiday; it could act as a changing hut by the sea-shore; it could act as a summerhouse by actually moving to where the sun is shining. Opportunities abound from the new development, and its inventor deserves the praise of every solitary shed-dweller.  Well done.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-44054814

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Bloke in North Dorset
Bloke in North Dorset
5 years ago

Some of us have floating sheds and are quite happy watching the world go by at a speed of 5 knots.

Southerner
5 years ago

Or you could write symphonies in it.

bloke in spain
bloke in spain
5 years ago

At first glance I took that to be the “Traveller” version of British Leyland’s large front wheel drive range of the 70’s.

Tim Newman
5 years ago

The shed is a retreat, a hideaway where people can retreat temporarily from the cares and clutter of the world outside.

Or an admission that British men are unable to enjoy themselves in the house they paid for.

bloke in spain
bloke in spain
5 years ago

At first glance I took that to be the “Traveller” version of British Leyland’s large front wheel drive range of the 70’s.

Southerner
Southerner
5 years ago

Or you could write symphonies in it.

Tim Newman
Tim Newman
5 years ago

The shed is a retreat, a hideaway where people can retreat temporarily from the cares and clutter of the world outside.

Or an admission that British men are unable to enjoy themselves in the house they paid for.

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