THE WORKMATE A SHED IN A CUPBOARD

At the end of World War II, Britain — although victorious — was on her knees economically. Much of her merchant shipping fleet had been sunk by German U-boats and her exports had fallen to a third of their pre-war level. All rationing finally finished in 1954 and living standards continued to improve, with very low unemployment and high levels of home ownership, until the economic troubles of the 1970s.

Because of this post-war prosperity ordinary people had money to spend improving their accommodation. This led to a boom in DIY, with specialist magazines filled with advertisements for paint, hardboard, and electric drills. In the 1962 annual of the magazine there were numerous ads for four different brands of corded