Short History of Britains obsession with the garden and the shed

Short History of Britains obsession with the garden and the shed

Before the war most gardens as we know them were for the enjoyment of the aristocracy who employed gardeners for their upkeep. All garden tools and necessities for the garden were kept in a garden shed. During the war as the men had to go off to join the army, the women were left to do what had always been jobs for men. The women got their hands dirty and to help feed the nation took to growing vegetable wherever they could find somewhere to grow.

The war came to an end. Most of the population lived in back to back housing with what is known as a yard. In that yard was the outside loo and a shed to keep all fathers tools in.

Allotments ie land provided by the local authorities to rent and it was a sizeable piece of land too about the same as a cricket pitch proved very popular. Again the shed was a vital part. The allotments were used to grow mainly vegetables and the shed was the ideal place to store all the tools etc.

During the 50’s the loos moved inside the houses and therefore the yard became an empty space. People then started to turn their yards into gardens , however the shed a vital part of any house remained in the new look garden.

The population started to become wealthier and with shorter working hours and more holidays the garden became a place to work in and the shed was still a necessity.