British garden sheds get star turn in Shed of the Year

British garden sheds are being remade into ship-themed sanctuaries, mini-pubs and gaming dens, with 38 entries in this year's Shed of the Year competition.

The contest, now in its 20th year, was won this year by a gaming den built by a group of friends. Founder Andrew Wilcox said sheds, once mainly used for lawnmowers, bicycles and paint pots, are increasingly being turned into personal retreats.

In West Drayton, west London, 68-year-old Peter McLaughlin has filled his shed with steam rail and ship memorabilia, including pumps, engines, clocks and pressure gauges. He describes the shed, which recreates a ship's boiler room, as the "Shanty Shed" and says it helped him after ill health forced him to retire at 50.

Near Liverpool, postman Steven Fraser has turned his back-garden shed into the "Fraser Arms", a pub-style meeting place for a group of childhood friends. He said it has become a way for the group to keep meeting as family life and costs made nights out less frequent.

Men's community sheds have also grown in Britain over the past 20 years, providing places where mainly older men can meet, make friends and share practical skills.

Alex Johnson, author of "The Philosophy of Sheds", said sheds can give people a private place to retreat from daily pressures and create a space of their own.