Last mentions of corrugated iron on Skye, but it seems that I have stumbled upon a subject that is of interest to more people than I first imagined.
[garage]
I didn't know it's referred to affectionately as 'wiggly tin' or 'wriggly tin', or that there is a Shire book on the subject (I have a feeling that Shire books must really be coming into their own these days instead of being slightly stuffy/nerdy), or that 'tin tabernacles' merit a book of their own, or that there are Flickr pools devoted to corrugated iron buildings, or that there people like Philip Wilkinson writing about them from a balanced architectural and historical perspective (see here and here) and Anne Ward who writes about them as an amateur enthusiast (on this excellent blog and this excellent website).
[old garage and new, separate, garage with modern corrugated metal roof]
But now I do, and it makes me happy to see that these prototype prefab buildings are enjoyed, sought out, 'collected', photographed, defended and supported by so many people. I'd like to think it's not just nostalgia that causes this, but that there's also a good reason to keep them standing, to use them, stay in them even, and to see them as an integral part of architectural history, and of the development of cheap, quick-build, effective and highly atmospheric structures.
[Broadford, since the 1890s]
Added: Just come across this book which looks great. I also put several photos of wiggly tin on Instagram and received some interesting comments.
Neat pictures!! I've noticed a lot of "wiggly tin" being used here in Portland Oregon as siding on buildings… It's got lots of personality!
Posted by: wasabi honey bee | July 29, 2014 at 16:49
There's nothing like the sound of rain on a tin roof to lull you to sleep!! Great pictures.
Posted by: Elaine | July 30, 2014 at 00:03
Next time you're travelling North - or back down South - call in at the Wriggly Tin Cafe at Millers Dale near Tideswell in the Peak District
Posted by: marge | July 30, 2014 at 08:08
Most interesting post as we live in one! (Roof well insulated so we don't hear the rain..) Ours is one of the many wooden Swedish houses donated, and bought, from Sweden to house rural workers - forestry in our case - just after the second world war. Thanks for the links.
Posted by: Freda | July 30, 2014 at 15:45
You would love Iceland then. A lot of the houses there and even some along Reykjavik's main shopping street Laugavegur are lined with "wiggly tin".
Posted by: Martina | July 31, 2014 at 15:50
Still sitting under a tin roof as I write…. Organising a new roof out here in the bush required a whole team of roofers for five days - they repaired the roof joists took away the old insulation and asbestos wearing astronaut suits and installed the new tin. Job done and my pockets were a lot lighter! Tin roofs are bent and shaped in all sorts of ways, the old bullnose verandah being just one - there are many of those in Fremantle. Some people paint their roofs, most leave them as they are. Many Italians arriving post WWII removed the tin replacing it with terracotta tiles and now people take the tiles off and put the tin back… and so it goes round.
Posted by: Lydia | August 01, 2014 at 08:19
I also like the dyed wool in the top pic. Captured a similar hue with tumeric dyeing dishcloth cotton,
Posted by: Geraldine | August 14, 2014 at 22:46