Ben Swanborough built a two-story wooden mushroom-shaped house in his back garden after his 12-year-old daughter gave him £500 from her savings. The structure won the Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition in 2017, chosen from a record 2,963 entries and voted on by 26,571 people. Judges praised its unique design and personal story, noting features like stained-glass windows, a glass floor overlooking a stream, and a concealed shelf for treats.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A 12-year-old girl from Surrey, England, gave her father £500 from her savings and asked him to build a house shaped like a mushroom in their back garden.
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girl → give → garden
Her father, Ben Swanborough, took up the challenge and built a two-storey wooden hideaway with a trapdoor, stained-glass windows and a glass floor overlooking a stream.
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father → take → stream
The unusual structure later won the overall title in the 2017 Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition.
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structure → win → competition
The Mushroom Shed, also known as the Mushroom House, was selected from a record 2,963 entries in the tenth edition of the annual competition, as per the information on Shedblog.
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Shed → know → Shedblog
The event attracted 26,571 public votes, with the final winner announced by George Clarke during Channel 4's Amazing Spaces Shed of the Yearprogramme.
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winner → attract → Yearprogramme
What began as a request from Swanborough's daughter eventually became a place where the family could spend time together and entertain friends.
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family → begin → friends
The handmade structure included several unusual features, from a hidden shelf for treats to a glass roof that allowed visitors to look at the stars.
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visitors → include → stars
Swanborough's creation first won the Cabin and Summerhouse category before competing against seven other category winners for the overall title.
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creation → win → title
The judges ultimately chose the Mushroom Shed, recognising both its design and the effort Swanborough had put into building it for his daughter.
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Swanborough → choose → daughter
The Mushroom Shed was designed to resemble a mushroom, with a narrow lower section forming the stem and a wider upper section representing its cap.
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Shed → design → cap
The lower level contains a small desk area and steps leading to the upper floor.
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level → contain → floor
Visitors reach the top section through a trapdoor, which opens into a vintage-inspired living space.
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which → reach → space
The upper floor includes stained-glass windows, a balcony and a glass floor through which visitors can look down towards the stream at the bottom of the garden.
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visitors → include → garden
A glass roof also allows people inside to see the sky and stars.
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people → allow → sky
Another feature is a concealed shelf for treats.
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feature → conceal → treats
Visitors reach the top section through a trapdoor, which opens into a vintage-inspired living space
The 2017 competition
The Mushroom Shed faced competition from seven other category winners, each offering a different approach to using a garden structure.
Among them was Pricklebums, a converted summerhouse in Ludlow used to care for sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs.
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Pricklebums → reach → hedgehogs
Owned by Ailie Hill, the small structure could accommodate up to 22 hedgehogs during treatment and rehabilitation.
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structure → own → treatment
Another contender was Team Unlimbited, a workshop in Swansea where Stephen Davies designed and produced 3D-printed artificial hands and arms for children free of charge.
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Davies → design → charge
The finalists also included an underground bunker in Lincolnshire, a fire station-themed entertainment shed in Hampshire and a mobile 1940s police station display from Cambridgeshire.
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finalists → include → Cambridgeshire
Despite the variety of entries, Swanborough's project stood out for its design and the personal story behind its construction.
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project → stand → construction
Andrew Wilcox, one of the judges explained why they selected it, saying, “The bar was set really high this year, from entire train carriages to a miniature chapel and a replica cinema.
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bar → explain → chapel
With strong contenders winning all eight category awards it was a really tough decision for me and my fellow judges.
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it → win → me
Ben’s dedication to his daughter and the quirky design details he created really stood out above the rest and he thoroughly deserves the title.”
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he → create → title
The winning prize
As the overall winner, Swanborough received £1,000 from competition sponsor Cuprinol, along with £100 worth of Cuprinol products, a winner's plaque and a giant crown for the shed.
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Swanborough → win → shed
Speaking after the announcement, Swanborough said the family had never expected their project to receive national recognition.
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project → speak → recognition
“When we started the project we never could have dreamed we’d be here now.
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we → start → project
We’ve already made so many lovely memories in our shed, and now have so many more from the competition!
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We → make → competition
There were so many innovative and amazing sheds in the running, and we’re absolutely thrilled to have been crowned Shed of the Year 2017.”
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we → be → Year
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Cuprinol, also praised the project and the idea behind it.
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Shillingford → praise → it
“Ben has proved that you just need a little motivation and vision to create a truly stunning space at the bottom of your garden.
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you → prove → garden
The Aporia
