wiggly tin

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.