Britain is often quoted as having more sheds per capita than any other country. Around two thirds of Brits own a shed; of those who don’t, 44% would like to. The annual ‘Shedonomics’ survey by Cuprinol also found that 62% of Brits would be deterred from buying a home if it didn’t have a shed or a garden big enough for one, while UK shed listings on Airbnb are in high demand. Even former Prime Minister David Cameron has splashed out £25,000 on one: he plans to use it to write his memoirs.

So what is it about the British and their garden sheds? And can time spent in a shed really be a boon to your creativity and productivity?

It may be no surprise that, with both flexible working and open offices on the rise, workers seem more interested in private, quiet spaces. The 2016 What Workers Want survey found that more than half of employees were dissatisfied with the noise levels in their offices and with hot-desking, and that more than a quarter thought their workplace’s design made them less productive. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of a million more people work from home in the UK today than a decade ago. As humble as it seems, a private shed is the antithesis to the open-office plans disliked by many workers – and one that a growing cadre of freelancers, entrepreneurs and flex workers are able to use.