Peaky Blinders home bar among entries for competition
A Peaky Blinders bar, a bat hostel, a Catholic oratory, and a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-inspired “inventor’s workshop” are among this year’s UK Shed of the Year entrants.
The ‘lockdown’ category introduced in last year’s competition has been retained, with several DIY bars created as pubs in England remained closed until coronavirus restrictions began to ease in April. One bar, created by Michael Vermiglio in Kirby, is a Peaky Blinders Bar, inspired by the TV show that is made in the West Midlands.
This year, 331 entrants are vying for the title of Cuprinol Shed of the Year, more than double the number in 2020.
In the competition’s 15th year, Nathan Macara and Rebecca Roseff have turned a corner of their garden in Great Malvern, Herefordshire, into somewhere for the greater and lesser horseshoe bat to hang out.
Father Len Black, from Inverness, has made it to the finals with summerhouse The Oratory Of St Joseph. The Catholic priest streamed Mass from the shed every day during lockdown, attracting viewers from Essex to Australia.
Influencer Danielle Zarb-Cousin also impressed the judges with her 1970s-inspired Creme de Menthe bar in her parents’ garden, which she created after going through a break-up.
Other finalists include specialist bra-fitter Joanna van Blommestein, who built lingerie boutique Bra Boss in her summerhouse.
Isle of Wight resident Nicholas Pointing built a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-inspired shed, as he wanted a space to construct a replica of the film’s car.
