A grandfather has transformed his garden into an Oriental haven complete with a Japanese tea house shed - in Essex. Derek Verlander has never been to the Far East but has spent 30 years at his home near Chelmsford creating an elaborate Japanese-style garden. Its tea house centrepiece holds a collection of Samurai swords, sake jars, lanterns and other Japanese ornaments. Oriental wonderland: Derek Verlander has spent 30 years at his home near Chelmsford creating an elaborate Japanese-style garden . In the middle: The garden's tea house centrepiece holds a collection of Samurai swords, sake jars, lanterns and other Japanese ornaments . Mr Verlander - who has entered the 2015 Shed of the Year competition - turned a disused railway cutting into a pretty pond with koi carp. And his beautiful garden also boasts a Japanese-style bridge, 40ft waterfall, bonsai trees and Buddha statues. Other sheds entered for the annual competition include a castle, bar, nightclub, diner, beach hut, pirate ship, pagoda and chapel. They are located in areas from Cheshire to Northamptonshire and Surrey to Nottinghamshire – and entries are still being accepted until April 7. The competition, which celebrates the best of British sheds, invites 'sheddies' to enter their unusual shed creations for a chance to win £1,000. Retired print worker Mr Verlander said that he relied on library books and magazines for inspiration about all things Japanese. He said: ‘The end of my garden is in a dip from a railway cutting. 'Some of my neighbours filled theirs in but I decided to create a pond and got some koi carp from a woman in Basildon. King of the castle: The Ballroom Shed in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, which is another entry in the 2015 Shed of the Year competition . Wheely good: The Pear Tree Wedding HQ shed in Northamptonshire - the base of a vintage and classic Volkswagen wedding hire company . Small opening: The Hobbit House in Merseyside, which has entered the annual competition sponsored by garden woodcare firm Cuprinol . ‘Then when I looked on books about koi carp, I saw pictures of Japanese gardens and thought that was a nice theme to go with. At the beginning, the garden was a wilderness. 'It has become a 30-year project, doing a bit more year by year. 'I got the idea of the Japanese bridge from a picture of one I saw in a library book. ‘I have had three bridges down the years as the first two were made from soft wood that rotted. 'I prune holly bushes and fir trees into different shapes to make the garden look more Japanese. ‘I have got two Buddhas and three statues of bald-headed monks. 'And five years ago, I saw a picture in a magazine featuring the Chelsea Flower Show of a traditional Japanese tea house. So I decided to create a Westernised version of it.’ Mr Verlander was quoted £7,000 by a local firm to build the tea house – so set about doing it himself for under £1,000. Idyllic location: The Otter Retreat Shed in Nottinghamshire, which has been entered by one of many 'sheddies' in Britain . Yo ho ho: The impressive Pirate Retreat in Croydon (left) and the unusually-shaped Curves and Colour Shed in London (right) Nautical bar: The interior of the Jack & Anchor Shed in Saltash, Cornwall - near Plymouth - which is another entry in the competition . The two-tier roof is made of cedar shingles with frosted Perspex used for the walls and doors. Mr Verlander relied on recycled kitchen doors and shower screens too to cut costs. The tea house also contains a tropical fish tank, TV and DVD player, sound system, bar, fridge - and a kettle. Mr Verlander said: ‘I have never actually been to Japan and I prefer ordinary tea, so I have Typhoo in the teahouse. My wife Linda and I have the odd gin and tonic in there too. 'I collect Japanese ornaments for the tea house very cheaply from charity shops. 'I got some sake jars for only 30 pence each. My wife has girls’ evenings in the tea house with her friends and our grandchildren love it - although they call it the “treehouse”. “I go down there every day to feed the fish. If I win the “Shed of the Year” competition I will have to put the prize money towards a trip to Japan for us.’ Up high: Terry's Treehouse in Gloucestershire (left) and the Bikers Shed in Bosham near Chichester, West Sussex (right) Fancy a drink? The Moody Cow in Great Sutton, Cheshire - an entry to the competition, which celebrates the best of British sheds . The Shedservatory Shed in Amersham in Buckinghamshire is styled around the design of a conservatory but in an outdoor wooden shed . The Picked Newt Shed from Wirksworth in Derbyshire has been created as a pub, complete with beer taps, bar stools and fruit machines . In Northamptonshire Pear Tree weddings have made a shed their headquarters, housing dozens of rolls of ribbon and decorations . The competition is sponsored by garden woodcare firm Cuprinol . [SOURCE: Cuprinol research] . The company's latest survey of 1,500 shed owners revealed that they average 1.7 hours a week - nearly four whole days a year - in their shack. The average value of shed contents is £450 but almost three quarters – 71 per cent - are hoarding useless items in their sheds. And almost a third - 32 per cent - admit their shed is so messy that they can barely get in through the door. A Cuprinol spokesman said: ‘It’s clear from this year’s report that the nation are still fanatical about their sheds. ‘We really do hope it will inspire those who are hoarding useless items to clear out their sheds and show them some love. ‘Whatever you use your shed for, the annual Shed of the Year competition celebrates the best of British sheds.’
Derek Verlander has never been to the Far East but has spent 30 years creating elaborate Japanese-style garden . Tea house centrepiece at garden near Chelmsford, Essex, holds Samurai sword collection, sake jars and lanterns . His garden is among entrants for 2015 Shed of the Year competition - which still has a month until its closing date . Other sheds entered for the annual competition include a castle, bar, nightclub, diner, beach hut and pirate ship .