As a youngster on holiday I was always fascinated by seaside arcades and waxwork museums with their slightly disturbing animated machines and creepy figures. So, when I retired I built this shed as a workshop in which to try my hand at making some of these fun but disquieting things from my childhood memories.
My first (and probably best) attempt was making a Fortune Telling machine, followed by a diorama depicting my interpretation of Louis Stevensons Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
In the 5 years since then, Ive got a bit carried away and my contraptions have filled the shed and spilled out into the house and garage. (My imagination has also spilled out somewhat, with some creations straying from disquieting to darn-right unnerving! ) So now Ive had to convert another shed into my workroom, with this one now a place to sit with a drink or two, surrounded by my own imagination, in the Bemusement Arcade.
I added the veranda to my shed in order to display an early 1960s funfair dodgem that Id restored. But, due to one of my all-too-regular DIY miscalculations, while the veranda was wide enough to house the dodgem, I couldnt get the doors open!
So, during daylight hours, the veranda remains a peaceful place to sit with a cuppa and contemplate Nature, but as the sun goes down and the lights go on, the Bemusement Arcade comes to life!