Former Prime Minister David Cameron has spent £25,000 on a luxury hut for his Cotswolds garden that he plans to use as a writing studio.
S
ince leaving Downing Street, Cameron has undertaken a speaking tour in the US and has said he is spending his time rediscovering his love of game shooting.
He is also writing a memoir of his years at Number 10. And now he has the perfect place to do it.
Not your average garden shed, the hand-built hut comes complete with sheep’s wool insulation, a wood-burning stove, Bakelite light switches and hardwood stable doors.
The Camerons chose to fit out the hut with a pull-out double sofa bed and have painted it in Farrow and Ball colours Clunch, Old White and Mouse’s Back. Cameron admitted that his wife Samantha made all of the design decisions.
The former PM bought the rustic cabin from Red Sky Shepherds Huts, which is owned by Paul Bennett. In a blog on the company’s website, the former prime minister explained that the idea for the purchase also came from Samantha.
When Samantha said we should look for one – I said I’d sort it out, he said. I basically Googled shepherd huts, found Paul’s company and I liked the look of the website.
The deal was sealed when it turned out that Bennett started the company with money he was able to access from his pension at 55, thanks to a rule change Cameron himself brought in while prime minister.
Paul came along and told me how he set up the business. I was delighted by the story, Cameron said.
A basic Red Sky shepherd hut sells for £16,500 but the costs mount with the addition of extras, including painted wood cladding, stove, bed and delivery and installation.
The huts are increasingly popular in the Costwolds, but that hasn’t put Cameron off.
Yes, they are sprouting up everywhere, he said. But I think this one is particularly lovely – it’s a very nice colour which goes with the Cotswold stone and we really love it.
However, it hasn’t all been martinis and chillaxing in the Cameron household since the hut arrived.
There’s been a bit of a fight already, Cameron said. My children want to use it as a Wendy house. I want to use it as a book writing room and my son wants it as an alternative bedroom. So, quite a lot of competition.