WW1 WORKSHOP AND WOODLAND PUB: SECOND WAVE OF CUPRINOL SHED OF THE YEAR FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
A World War I inspired workshop, equipped with a traditional coke fired forge and a cosy woodland shed furnished with a fully stocked bar have been announced as the second round of winners in Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year 2016 competition.
As part of the annual celebration which honours Britain’s most spectacular sheds, the second leg of the competition crowned the two winners of the Workshop & Studio and Pub & Entertainment categories.
Taking home the prize for Best Workshop & Studio Shed, the WW1 cabin Cowpe Smithy fought off tough competition to be crowned overall category winner on Channel 4’s ‘Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year’ last night.
Clad with salvaged corrugated iron that was used in the trenches during World War I, Cowpe Smithy houses antique forging tools which owner Robin Sharples uses to recreate the work of a village blacksmith.
Meanwhile, Derek McCarthy from Limerick, beat three other impressive shortlisted sheds to become winner of Best Party & Entertainment Shed for his Hooting Owl. Constructed of materials that were shipped from the Tatra Mountains in Poland, Hooting Owl is a space of pure enjoyment where guests are invited to make use of the bar equipped with beer taps and party the evening way.
The two winning sheds were announced tonight by George Clarke on the Channel 4’s hit series ‘Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year’, produced by Plum Pictures. Category winners are being announced during each episode of the four-part series, with the final winner being announced in the last episode in August.
Cowpe Smithy and Hooting Owl have now secured their place in the final which will see them up against six other category winners in a battle to be crowned Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2016.
Best Workshop & Studio Shed winner, Robin Sharples says: “I’m truly honoured to have won the Workshop & Studio Category in the Shed of the Year competition. Cowpe Smithy has real sentimental value to me, as it was built as a place to pursue my hobby of blacksmithing after I had to end my apprenticeship as a blacksmith many years ago. I’m delighted that its antique charm and its workshop use are appreciated by the public.”
Best Pub/Entertainment winner, Derek McCarthy says: “The Hooting Owl was always a sociable space from the minute we started building it. With the help of my Polish friends who brought the materials over from Poland, we built the shed together with my family too. We love entertaining guests, whether it be over a game of cards or a full night of partying, and I’m so glad that the public appreciate it as much as we do.”
The overall winner will be decided by a panel of shed experts including the founder of the competition Uncle Wilco (Andrew Wilcox), last year’s winner Walter Micklethwait, George Clarke and his expert team; craftsman William Hardie, architect Laura Clark and industrial designer Max McMurdo.
