Stephen Cuddy purchased a 35ft (10m) long vintage barge off eBay for £5,000 and constructed an accurate reproduction of a Victorian canal lock to house it, The Mirror reports. The self-taught architect started by digging out 30-40 tonnes of soil on a small plot of land in the grounds of a hotel he owns in Coleshill, Warwickshire.

Over the next six months, he spent another £25,000 constructing a full-functioning canal lock complete with lock gate and water pumping system to fill and empty it. He also built a redbrick lockkeeper’s cottage, an outdoor patio within a decorative tunnel alcove and installed a 29ft (8m) long swimming pool inside the barge.

The eccentric hotel owner now reckons he has the world’s shortest canal – with his boat able to travel a mere 24 inches. His stunning creation recently featured on Channel 4’s ‘George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces’ with the host describing it as “awe-inspiring” and “off-the-scale brilliant”.

George added: “Stephen has delivered one of the most unbelievable Amazing Spaces builds ever.”

Stephen, of Coleshill, said: “It started when I told my ex-partner, who I am also in business with, I’m thinking of buying a narrowboat. She said that would never happen so I got one.”

“But then I needed somewhere to put it as I knew she wouldn’t be too happy when it turned up. The idea was to have it as a bit of an escape pod for myself but I wanted to do it up so everyone could use it – from hotel staff to my friends. I had to sort of hide it away from guests and I then I thought why not build a whole canal lock to disguise it.

“I thought it could actually work. I asked my friends if it they agreed and they just said ‘you’re weird anyway’. Even George Clarke had that look on his face that he didn’t think it was possible and I just thought I’m going to do this anyway and prove people wrong.”