At Buy Fencing Direct, we admit that most of us are sheddies in some form or another. So, for all you fellow sheddies out there who love your sheds, we've compiled this list of shed facts for you.
According to Kerry Maxwell, author of Brave New Words, "the affectionate term sheddie has been around for a number of years, but has only recently come into the public eye in connection with the observation that the current economic situation may in part be responsible for the growing popularity of 'garden offices'. Users of garden offices, also sometimes referred to as 'shed workers', are now often female, countering the rather hackneyed image of the shed as the last bastion of masculinity."
Here are some more fun facts about sheds, with statistics taken from Cuprinol’s 2016 Shedeconomics survey:
- Over 21 million people in the UK now own a shed
- 62% of people would be deterred from buying a home if it didn’t have a shed – or even a big enough shed
- More younger Brits are now investing in sheds, with more under 25 now owning a shed (63%) compared to 60% of 45-54 year olds
- 11% of men admitted to planning a surprise for their partner in their shed – including holidays and proposals
- 32% of shed owners admit their shed is so messy they can barely get through the door
- The average shed contents is worth over £458
- 3% of sheds house a sunbed
- 7% of sheds have a TV
- The most famous piece of garden shed art was created by sculptor Cornelia Parker when, in 1991, she blew up a shed and used its shrapnel to create her piece "Cold, Dark Matter: An Exploded View."
- In Ancient Egypt, there was a god named Shed who was god of danger, deadly animals and illness
- Rudyard Kipling, Agatha Christie and Roald Dahl all wrote in their sheds. A shed Benjamin Britten owned is now a Grade 2 listed building.
- In Slavic folklore, the shed is feared as it is believed to be the home of Baba Yaga, a witchlike character who flies around on a giant pestle kidnapping children.
- The word ‘shed’ has the same origin as ‘shade’. in Anglo-saxon times a ‘scead’ was a place of rest in a shady place.
- Former Primer Minister David Cameron has bought a shed with the intention of using it to write his memoirs.
- In jazz jargon, “shedding” is to diligently practice a musical instrument. It is a derivative of the slang word 'Woodshed' perhaps derived from the notion that an isolated woodshed is fit for practicing.
Main image: 10' x 6' Forest Overlap Pressure Treated Double Door Apex Wooden Shed (3.02m x 1.99m)