At the heart of every Caleb Josiah Shepherd Hut is the desire to showcase the natural beauty of wood which was in plentiful supply throughout the countryside, at the height of Shepherd Hut building, some 100 plus years ago. The passing of time has witnessed an increase in tree related disease and over deforestation resulting in a continual decline in the availability of quality timber, at source.
Caleb Josiah work closely with regional sawmills and, guided by the expertise of the head sawyer, ensure only the best cuts of sustainably sourced timber are used in the construction of their Shepherd Huts, which are meticulously pieced together using traditional carpentry and jointing techniques.
The Shepherd Hut frame is constructed using 3” x 2” distressed sawn pine assembled into position using traditional mortise and tenon joints, secured with wooden dowels and glue. Externally, the walls are vertically clad to full height with extra wide 1” western red cedar planks and cover strips as standard. Internally, the walls and roof are clad with TGV pine inset into the frame and the cavity insulated with Dritherm slabs. The floor is laid with 6” x 1” Douglas Fir boards and the roof is of corrugated iron. The Hut is furnished with a two-part stable door, two casement windows, one drop leaf table, one medicine cabinet and period reproduction fixtures and fittings as standard. Sweet Chestnut, Oak and Cedar are available as options.
The chassis, which is constructed of seasoned pine and oak square section, sits upon solid oak axles finished in Danish oil. Stub axle sets carrying respective pairs of 6 spoke 32” and 24” diameter wheels, from an original design, are recessed in to the underside of each axle. Associated ironworks in the form of half shafts, draw bar and stabilisers complete the build.
