Garden buildings

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(This section would benefit from more material on garden buildings in China and Japan)
Arguably, the oldest fragment of a garden building is at Pasargadae in Iran. It was an encampment garden and the building was a pavilion dwelling for Cyrus the Great. The Romans erected numerous small pavilions in gardens and examples survive at Pompeii. The making of luxury gardens resumed with the renaissance and so did the construction of garden buildings. The taste for garden buildings then spread north of the Alps and small buildings became characteristic of the English Landscape Garden.
The small and highly decorative garden buildings in Chinese and Japanese gardens originated as Buddhist temples. They were well-cared for and frequently rebuilt after fires (often caused by lightening).
Garden buildings remain popular in modern gardens but their use tends to be more functional than aesthetic. They are used to store equipment, for games, for swimming, as garden offices, as summer houses, as sun rooms and for plant propagation.
The most contemporary use for garden buildings is indeed as garden offices. These can range from much loved garden sheds that have been upgraded by their owners garden offices.
Many people installing garden buildings in Britain are unaware of the controls and restrictions. Even a shed can be subject to planning permission or building regulations, if it is used to house human activity.