‘It’s sexy being dull’ - car park fanatic behind new calendar of favourite UK spots
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A self-confessed ‘dull’ man has produced a bizarre calendar for 2023 - celebrating Britain’s best car parks. Kevin Beresford spent several months travelling the length of the entire country reviewing the parking offerings from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
The 70-year-old then compiled his 12 favourites into a contender for the most boring calendar of 2023 - devoted entirely to the best car parks in Britain. Kevin, who admits he could be ‘Britain’s dullest man’, decided to embark on the 603 mile journey in search of the nation’s prime parking spot.
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Hide AdAnd he believes the best one is situated - in Birmingham. The Trinity Street car park in the city’s creative quarter Digbeth boasts a cocktail bar along one of it sides, has walls made from crushed cars and is adorned with street art.
Also among his top picks is the striking art deco Brewer Street car park in London’s Soho, which costs £47.80 to park for four hours. Elsewhere, Britain’s most haunted car park in Culloden, Scotland, where hundreds of people were killed in 1746 during the last major battle on British soil, is also featured.
The unique Rupert Street car park in Bristol is pictured in February where motorists are forced to park on a steep incline.
Others featured include Edinburgh Airport which showcases ‘helter skelter’ ramps and possibly the nation’s cheapest car park in Milton Keynes, which costs just 15p an hour. Duncansby Head, in The Highlands, is the most northeasterly point on the British mainland, and is said to be the car park offering the best views.
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Hide AdWhen judging what makes a good car park, Kevin takes into consideration factors including lighting, price and aesthetics of the spaces.
Kevin, who is also president of the Car Park Association Society, said: “I think first and foremost if I had to design a car park myself it would have to be brightly lit. That is so important and something that is often overlooked. A dark car park is scary especially at night.
“Also a lot of the car parks were designed years ago for small cars. “Now you have big 4x4s, so a lot of the small parking spaces are not adequate really anymore.
“It’s also got to be reasonably priced to entice people into an area. But for me as well, it’s the aesthetic of the car park and that is what drew me to the Trinity Street one in Birmingham, which is just amazing.
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Hide Ad“What other parking area has an entrance made up of crushed car engines - it’s incredible. As you enter there is street art everywhere including a giant Spider-Man and it’s all very artistic.
“And on your right when you go in to park your car, there is a cocktail bar. If it rains, you can sit under a wigwam - this car park has everything. This parking is also very cheap and it’s close to the city centre too. It is quite unique and out of the ordinary. “
Single Kevin, of Redditch, came up with his latest idea after flogging previous mundane calendars featuring roundabouts, benches and postboxes. He says he prides himself on showcasing the parts of British society that more conventional calendars never do in order to stand out from the crowd.
He added: “I focus on slices of English life that nobody else does. I suppose like artists such as Andy Warhol and Van Gogh I focus on the mundane. I don’t create your normal conventional calendars; I make the ones nobody else is selling.
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Hide Ad“I think that is another reason people buy my calendars because they are unique. I’ve been called the dullest man in Britain but, I am proud about this title. It’s sexy being dull.”
Kevin’s 2023 car park calendar costs £12.50 and can be bought online at: https://dullkev.com/
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