Last Sunday morning at the Space Station self-storage depot in Cricklewood, north-west London, Merlin, 49, a care worker, was on her weekly visit to her unit – a space not much larger than a broom cupboard. She was depositing duvets and removing a bag of sun cream and an exercise machine as she managed the transition from winter to summer.
Her unit was neat – house proud even. She even had installed a wine rack and a clothes rail, on which outfits were carefully hung.
