Sheds
Summary
Host Ruth Goodman explores the history of sheds, tracing their origins from 23,000-year-old mammoth bone structures to Japanese kura and medieval monasteries. The episode highlights how sheds have served as storage, hobby workshops, and creative retreats for figures like Virginia Woolf and George Bernard Shaw. It also recounts the dangerous story of a boy who built a nuclear reactor in his mother’s shed, illustrating the enduring appeal of these outbuildings as personal sanctuaries.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Indeed Sponsored Jobs
Ancient mammoth bone huts in Ukraine
Introduction to the history of sheds
Sheds in Ancient Egypt and Rome
Japanese Kura storehouses and the 1293 tsunami
Sponsor: Indeed Sponsored Jobs
Noiser Podcast Network promotions
Evolution of Japanese storage structures
Medieval monastery and Icelandic farm outbuildings
Sheds as hobby workshops for men and women
Famous writers who used sheds as retreats
Garden sheds designed by Edwin Lutyens
Sponsors: USAA, Dole, and Ozempic
Sponsor: Indeed Sponsored Jobs
Noiser Podcast Network promotions
David Hahn's backyard nuclear reactor experiment
Modern sheds, clutter, and the tiny house movement
Shed of the Year awards and conclusion
Outro and call to action
Listen ad-free on Castria