Friday 10 December 2010

Thatching for beginners


Because the Irish thatched cottages prompted some discussion, I thought I'd post this one today.  It shows the re-thatching of the Great Barn at the Home Farm in Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, which is an approved conservation centre for the Rare Breeds Trust.  Not only do they provide a home for many rare breeds of farm animals, they also manage a working farm.

I lived in a thatched house for almost 20 years.  Before we saw it, I was convinced a thatch was more trouble than it was worth, but I fell in love with the house at first sight and decided to learn to love the thatch.  It has many advantages: warm in winter, cool in summer, very quiet (you never hear rain falling on it) and very eco-friendly.

English thatches are a great deal thicker than the Irish ones pictured the other day because often repairs are done just by removing the worst of the weathering and replacing with another layer of thatch.  It can build up to quite a depth.  Different types of thatching material are used such as wheat straw or water reed, and the style of thatching varies not only from area to area, but from thatcher to thatcher.  Each has their own signature.

Straw needs to be renewed more often and has to be netted to prevent birds using it as convenient nesting material.  Reed lasts very much longer but the appearance is stiffer and less rounded.


The second card shows some thatched cottages in Somerset.  The one at the bottom left looks as if it has been thatched more recently than the others.  They generally weather from a straw-like colour until they become almost black.

This is a post for Postcard Friday, which is hosted by Beth Niquette at The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

12 comments:

  1. I think there is a romantic feel to thatched houses ... or perhaps a fantastic, mystical family lives there! Happy PFF!

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  2. I am surprised that thatch is still being used.

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  3. I've heard that thatch is also fire resistant, which seems counter intuitive.

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  4. I have loved thatched cottages since I was a child. As someone else mentioned I think they are so romantic, I have always wanted to live in one!

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  5. LOL. Thanks for the thatching lesson! I learn something new every day, and had no idea that it was so watertight.

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  6. How long will it be before there are postcards with views of grass roofs?

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  7. Whilst I've never lived in a thatched cottage, I was born and raised in Somerset and go back to visit family there every year - there are still many thatched cottages in the countryside even today.

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  8. with all the modern technology I can't see why anyone would want to continue with something that must take a lot of timne to do right.
    Odie

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  9. These thatched cottages in Somerset are beautiful. I liked to read about your positive experiences with them. So they are not only beautiful, but also a joy to live in. Happy PFF.

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  10. Very interesting... I have always loved the look of a thatched roof, I think I could come to love living in one! TFS

    Happy PFF!

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  11. I always love seeing those beautiful thatched houses! I bought four of the Lilliput Lane ones during visits to England but stopped my collection when I went on to other things. Of course, none of my sons shows any interest in having them - nor does my one daughter-in-law so I will sell them on Craig's list or give them to a friend as I downsize for a move by the end of Feb.

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