EXCLUSIVE The man in the shed: Iranian asylum seeker who lost his memory in a bike crash and became homeless builds £300 shack beside the Thames in one of London’s most exclusive postcodes because he ‘always wanted a place by the water’
It is one of the most prestigious addresses in London, with a prized view across the Thames to the twinkling lights of Albert Bridge and iconic towers of Battersea Power Station.
For centuries, Cheyne Walk in Chelsea has been the privileged preserve of the powerful, rich and famous, a neighbourhood where houses sell for tens of millions of pounds.
But MailOnline can reveal today that a homeless Iranian in his 40s, who arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker and doesn’t speak English, has audaciously set up a home there for himself – by secretly erecting his own weather-proofed wooded home for £300 on the north bank of the Thames under Battersea Bridge.
Shahoo Amini has revealed that he built the 8ft by 4ft shed himself in August this year because he always wanted a ‘place by the water’.
He told MailOnline: ‘I did a lot of searches on Google for houses close to river or the sea and got my inspiration from these. My place is vey beautiful. It’s very cold at night but the view is amazing.’
Across the street in one direction from his shed, his immediate near-neighbours are Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, fellow rocker Bryan Adams and billionaire Tetra Pax heir Hans Rausing. And even nearer is Crosby Hall, the sprawling and magnificent £150million-plus Tudor-style mansion owned by property mogul Dr Christopher Moran and once home to King Richard III, Catherine of Aragon, Thomas More and Sir Walter Raleigh.
Mr Amini said: ‘Nobody bothers me and to be honest, you can’t even see my shed from the road because it’s hidden away. I love my little place. It’s wonderful opening the windows, looking out at the Thames and letting the fresh air in. I’d rather be here than sleeping rough on the streets.’
Shahoo Amini has built a shed to live in by the Thames because he always wanted a ‘place by the water’
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Amini said that he arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker
Shahoo built the shed himself for £300 – and the top half is where he sleeps, complete with a window overlooking the water
Shahoo slept rough under bridges but has now got a shed stashed under Battersea Bridge (circled), one of the most exclusive areas of London
The sensational view of the Thames, Albert Bridge and iconic towers of Battersea Power Station
The shack was built to fit snuggly by the stairs down to the Embankment
Mr Amini said that he previously lived in a flat in Victoria but was evicted for rent arrears in March 2023 following a motorbike accident a year earlier which caused him to lose the majority of his memory and his job as a courier rider.
Shahoo, who says he is not on benefits but doesn’t work and relies on his savings, had slept rough under bridges and on the streets of the capital before building the shack with one of the best views in London.
He said: ‘I wasn’t able to work but to be honest I can’t remember too much. The accident caused me a lot of physical and mental damage, especially to my long term memory. Then I got evicted and was on the streets living homeless but I can’t remember where’
He sleeps in the top section of the custom-built shed, which has a small window allowing him to wake up with a view of the Thames.
When the weather is good he dines and relaxes al fresco, sitting in a Union Jack fold-out camping chair admiring sweeping views of the river and Albert Bridge, which is loved for its 4,000 lights.
He has been seen preparing elaborate meals – chopping up fresh vegetables, herbs and meats on a table for stews and curries – before finishing his cooking on his stove.
Mr Amini was born in the Iranian city of Mariwan and came to the UK as an asylum seeker in 2013. He speaks little English and was speaking to MailOnline via an interpreter. He said he has no family here and no recollection of his previous life in Iran.
He added: ‘It’s all gone. My head is not the same since this accident and I don’t remember most things about my life.’
He said the shed cost him around £300 to build and he bought the materials from a builders yard. His home has no heating and he relies on a hot water bottle for warmth.
Traffic rushes over the bridge above. The shed cost around £300 to build from Shahoo’s savings
Mr Amini said: ‘I did a lot of searches on Google for houses close to river or the sea and got my inspiration from these’
When the weather is good he sits in his chair and cooks Iranian stews and curries
Shahoo says he is not on benefits and uses savings to get by
All his possessions in the shed after her was evicted from a flat in March
Across the street in one direction from his shed, his immediate near-neighbours are Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, fellow rocker Bryan Adams and billionaire Tetra Pax heir Hans Rausing
The shed has sweeping views of the river and Albert Bridge, which is loved for its 4,000 lights
Mr Amini says he only cooks once a day on an oil burner. He sleeps on a hard wooden board raised above the ground which also acts as a table and a place for him to store his belongings.
His shed also has two makeshift windows and a pitched roof covered with a plastic sheet. He showers once a week in a nearby gym and uses the toilet of a local bus station.
Responsibility for this part of the Embankment and Battersea Bridge falls to Transport for London, but it appears that Sadiq Khan’s transport body has no immediate plans to remove the shed or ask him to leave.
The lack of action raises questions about whether Shahoo has found a loophole allowing him to build a small home in one of the capital’s most exclusive postcodes.
Locals believe he was first seen living rough under Albert Bridge, a few hundred yards along the river to the east. But several months ago, he suddenly decided to up-sticks and move into relatively more comfortable accommodation under Battersea Bridge.
There, he swiftly and secretly erected the pre-packed shed overnight and snuggly positioned it in the void between the stairs to the bridge and the Embankment river wall.
The shed is split into two sections. On the upper deck is his bedding and clothes and below is storage for his possessions and cooking equipment and utensils.
Shahoo swiftly and secretly put up the shed
Mr Amini’s outdoor kitchen
The shed has a raised apex roof with an asphalt covering, as well as a plastic sheet for extra protection from the harsh elements that inevitably blow from the river. The roof extends to an impressive 12ft to provide an overhang from the rain. The upper sleeping area even has a little window that opens to add ventilation and a view of the river.
Chelsea locals and passersby have been welcoming to Shahoo, who is friendly and polite. Hence, no complaints have been raised to the local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
One local resident told MailOnline: ‘The man looks perfectly at home here. We often see him making dinner on a camping stove. He has a little table and a fold-out camping chair. He’s clearly a good cook because he makes stews and curries that smell delicious. He even invited me to share this food and dine with him one evening.
‘He looks very relaxed and always plays music from his mobile phone on a blue tooth speaker. Since the weather has turned colder he puts on a white beanie hat to keep warm. He says that the shed is fine, but that that traffic is very noisy. That seems to be a small piece to pay because people living nearby have paid many millions to enjoy the view he’s got.
‘No one knows what is going to happen, but surely he cannot stay there. It would be a shame for his shed to be pulled down, but it is quite big and is clearly being used for storage as well as a place to sleep. What is to stop other homeless people creating homes like this anywhere?’
The authoritiers have said they will reach out to support him.
A TfL spokesman said: ‘No one should be sleeping rough on London’s streets. TfL is working with the housing and rough sleeping outreach service at Kensington and Chelsea Council to help the person staying in a shed on the Battersea Bridge structure. Rough sleepers need specialist support from dedicated outreach services, to help them find a permanent route off the streets. We continue to work with outreach services to help safeguard those sleeping rough or seeking refuge on our network.’
A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council added: ‘We cannot comment on individual cases. Our first priority is to support rough sleepers into accessing benefits, housing and other support services based on their individual needs so they have an alternative to living on the streets. Our outreach team carries out night shifts multiple times a week to identify rough sleepers and help them as quickly as possible. It is a complex issue and this support is dependent on individuals wanting to work with us.’
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