The
Grootendorsts are, I would imagine, sympathetic to the views of the tree-hugging
fraternity. Recycle everything and look after the natural world might be their motto.
Bexley council and their apparatchiks are more than a little interested in Rita’s
collection of sheds. Never mind the fact that the one next door is in a poor
state, it is Rita’s, mainly made from bits and pieces she and her husband Pieter have collected from
house refurbishments and the occasional discarded outbuilding that are their obsession.
The Grootendorst Grottos tend to have the most elaborate doors
ever to grace a garden shed. On the other hand one has a roof of corrugated
polycarbonate which may be a trifle incongruous among the trees. But I don’t
think that is yet a crime even if it is not traditional shed building material.
Bexley council doesn’t like Rita’s sheds. I was present last year when they said so
and appeared to think it was justification for their complaints when they
demanded to look inside and found a door that refused to open.
Rita’s sheds are apparently not smart enough for Sidcup, they are not
sufficiently orthodox and therefore a blot on the landscape. The fact that B&Q
don’t stock anything quite like them is probably the ultimate proof but perhaps Bexley
council should compare them with somewhere more trendy. Two of the sheds shown above
are exhibits at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.