It’s taken rather longer than we first envisaged, but the Rowlands Castle Village Fair’s new shed is now almost ready for use.
For as long as anyone can remember, we’ve relied on a small wooden shed behind the parish hall to store our gazebos, bunting, BBQ and bar equipment. It’s served us well, but the time has come to move on. The new shed is significantly larger and, crucially, much easier to access—something that will make a real difference on set-up day.
Work began back in the autumn, when Louis Silk laid the 6m x 3m concrete base on which the shed now stands.
After that, progress paused until March, when kinder weather finally allowed us to tackle the flat-pack metal structure.
With over 90 different parts, 232 individual components (not including some 2,200 screws, nuts, bolts and washers), and a 37-page instruction manual, we knew from the outset this was not going to be a quick job.
Day One – Saturday
We assembled en masse early on Saturday morning, sorted the myriad parts into some semblance of order, and began work on the base frame—knowing it had to be perfectly square if everything else was to fit.
Progress was slower than hoped, particularly when it came to installing the Rawl bolts.
Following a welcome break for bacon baps and tea, we marked out the base positions and turned our attention to assembling the side walls.
A light breeze meant several members of the team were pressed into service as human props, holding panels steady while others wielded screwdrivers. Meanwhile, separate teams worked on the front and side doors, and another group began constructing the internal support frame to stabilise the increasingly wobbly structure.
By the end of day one, we had the walls up and one gable end in place—a solid start.
Day Two – Sunday
Sunday brought further progress. The front doors were fitted, the gable ends completed, and the roof frame assembled.
However, when it came to fitting the roof panels, we hit a snag. A bit of backtracking was required, and even then the holes in the panels stubbornly refused to line up with those in the frame.
At that point, there was only one sensible course of action: tools down, and adjourn to the pub.
During the week
A flurry of emails with the supplier followed, complete with photographic evidence. Eventually, towards the end of the week, “Dave the Shed Whisperer” took a look. With a bit of expert jiggery-pokery, four roof panels were successfully installed by Thursday evening.
Day… N – Saturday
Buoyed by Dave’s intervention, the team reconvened the following Saturday. Progress was still steady rather than swift, but morale remained high—helped along by sausage and bacon baps, coffee and biscuits.
After a fair amount of pushing, pulling, and a pragmatic approach to slightly misaligned holes, we finally completed the roof and top flashing.
Just a few finishing touches remain before the great transfer begins. Watch this space!
Screwers, doers, refreshments and support
In alphabetical order: Andy M, Andy T, Bob L, Claire T, Dave ‘shed whisperer’, Donna G, Grahame M, Heidi A, Herb M, Jesse, Lisa L, Louis S, Patch, Pete F, Phil H and Susan M.
