Blackdown Shepherd Huts
Delve into the world of Will Vickery, the craftsman behind Blackdown Shepherd Huts in Ilminster, UK. Crafting bespoke shepherd huts for modern living, Blackdown's handcrafted designs, born from a passion for quality, have evolved into versatile spaces for glamping, home offices, and beyond.
Edition 3 Feature (September 2021)
We Interview: Will Vickery
Location: Ilminster, UK
Photo Credits: ©Rachel Bragg Photography @rachelbraggphotography / ©Ben Carpenter Photography @bencphoto / ©Matt Sweeting Photography @mattsweetingphotography
What is it that you do and how do you do it?
We build shepherd huts. It’s a modern take on an original hut, suitable for modern living. Every hut is handcrafted and built for the individual customer. Glamping was fairly new when we started and that’s what we built them towards, but as the years have gone by, people have used them for all sorts of things, from pool rooms and craft rooms to home offices. We’ve supplied quite a few hotels so they can put them in their grounds. We build a mobile catering unit as well, so people use them for events, which is quite cool.
We have three main designs that we adapt to the customer’s preferences. Our Turnkey hut is our flagship model, but people can choose from various options such as whether they want a glass roof or brass worktops. Then we have a Retreat hut, which is quite a simple space, great for home offices and so on, just a space to be creative in. And then we do a Brace hut, which effectively doubles the space and makes room for a copper rolltop bath and all sorts of luxurious things. A lot of those go to hotels, luxury boutique glamping and suchlike.
How did it all begin?
