It is only a shed, but...
The National Art Collections Fund has just given £800,000 to Californian sculptor James Turrell to transform an 18th century shed in Yorkshire into a modern work of art by knocking a hole in the roof so that James can create another of his famous skyscapes.
Also, a shed is a major feature in the current Turner Prize exhibition. Even though it looks like a shed, and started life as a shed, we are told that it's a "celebratory statement of sculptural transformation". (See note at end for a fuller description).
SO, SHEDS ARE THE IN THING.
We are lucky to have a row of 18th century sheds in Swaffham Prior. And what are the venerable owners/trustees/guardians thinking of doing? They want to knock them down. These sheds were the privies/outhouses of four early 18th century facing Almshouses which have long been demolished. The reason given is the cost of maintenance. Possibly if the same group controlled the Cage that could also be under threat because all the Cage does is to house a useless 1791 wooden fire-engine and the building is quite expensive to maintain..
The sheds of the 18th century Almshouses do at least have a useful function in that they house the newspapers which are then shredded to make horse bedding. Just think, Best Mate may once have rested his head on your newspaper. I hope this is not dismissed as sentimentality.
The Village Hall Committee was lucky to have read in the Crier PC Report (where else!) about the proposal and the minutes of it's October meeting record that "Members of the Committee expressed horror at and disapproval of this suggestion because not only would it mean the loss of the Paper Shed but equally it would destroy some of our local cultural heritage."
BALONEY!!, some may say, and they may be right as we cannot always hang about in the past. If the sheds were erased and the ground levelled it would be possible to fit in two glass bottle bins (one for the coloureds and the other for the whites), a paper bin, and also a bin for plastic bottles. This could be a new asset for the Village, passers-by from Reach could use them, and the modernisers would be happy.
Is this not something for the Annual Assembly? After all this is a conservation village and a very good case could be made for putting a preservation order on the sheds. DonÕt forget what happened to our long lost and lamented Fountain.
PS. The Turner Prize shed was found by sculptor Simon Starling on the banks of the River Rhine. He bought it, demolished it, converted it into a boat, put all the left over wood into the boat, paddled up the river until he reached Basel, where he turned it all back into the shed