Thatching. Still going strong.

[Carruthers]

Houses with thatched roofs/rooves require the thatch to be repaired or replaced at fairly frequent intervals.
I understand that a complete replacement thatch will last twenty or so years but the ridge will require repair much more often.

The cottage in the picture is having a completely new thatch and all that remains is for the finishing touches to be applied and the scaffolding removed.
It is traditional for thatchers to leave something in the roof that reflects the time at which the work was carried out for the next thatcher to find.

There was nobody at work when I passed an hour or so ago, but given the close proximity of the pub.....

[glatt]

I spent about an hour watching a thatcher doing a roof in Denmark, I think. It's wonderful to watch them work. They make it look so easy, but I know it's a real skill.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Wait, didn't Margret die?

There was a house in CT I watched most of the process on. A couple years later the house was sold and within a year they replaced the thatch with plywood and asphalt shingles. I asked the guy if he'd had leaks or something as the roof wasn't that old. He said no he hadn't had trouble, he just couldn't afford the fire insurance. Do you have that problem over there?

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

.... he just couldn't afford the fire insurance. Do you have that problem over there?

Yes, you'll pay over the odds for fire insurance and it's just one of the problems of living in such a house. Those cottages date from the early 1600s and are what is known as 'Listed Buildings', in other words they are under a preservation order of sorts. Repairs have to be in keeping with the original structure so replacing the thatch with tiles or slates etc., is a non-starter.

A work colleague of my father's lived in a thatched house a few miles the other side of Aylesbury. Every November 5th, when the Gunpowder Plot is celebrated with fireworks, not only would he stand outside all evening to keep his roof under observation, he persuaded members of the local volunteer fire brigade not to leave the village under any circumstances. I believe inducements of an alcoholic nature might have been offered.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ha ha, when in doubt, pour the stout.

[Sundae]

ETA - Carruthers beat me to it.

YES. Thatch is definitely considered a hugh fire risk.
However I'm not sure homeowners can simply choose to change the roof. I'm sure they'd have to get some sort of planning permission and I imagine many houses are Listed properties because of their age or by being in a Conservation Area.

Our cottage wasn't thatched but for example we only go to put up a satellite dish because there was a small extension at the back of the house, which was considered modern enough and hidden enough to sully with new technology.

Carr I wonder if the roofline will include a thatch animal?
I understand that different thatchers have their favourites. I've often seen peacocks in Bucks.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Would I be right in assuming those chimneys are for coal or oil fires, rather than wood?

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Sundae

Carr I wonder if the roofline will include a thatch animal?
I understand that different thatchers have their favourites. I've often seen peacocks in Bucks.

I haven't seen any creatures depicted on that particular row, but there used to be a spider of colossal proportions picked out in stark relief on a cottage in Whitchurch.
I can't find it on Street View unfortunately, so I think it probably disappeared in the course of repairs.
I'm sure I've seen a Peacock somewhere, but I can't for the life of me remember where.

Would I be right in assuming those chimneys are for coal or oil fires, rather than wood?

They are probably for coal or gas fires with suitable flue linings but they would have started life for wood fires.
Indeed, log burners are becoming increasingly popular so the wheel might have turned full circle.

ETA:

Given the timber and brick infill construction, I've no doubt that this cottage started life with a thatched roof.
I suspect that the abomination was installed some considerable time ago. The owners wouldn't get away with it today.



Street View

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I wonder if the roofline will include a thatch animal?
I understand that different thatchers have their favourites. I've often seen peacocks in Bucks.

Spot on, Sundae.

[Bloke]

Carruthers, you may have seen that pub just outside of Aylesbury on the road to Princes Risborough (I think it was called the Woolpack or something similar) that had a fire a few years back. Thatched roof and all - ugly mess!
Still, all repaired now.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Bloke

Carruthers, you may have seen that pub just outside of Aylesbury on the road to Princes Risborough (I think it was called the Woolpack or something similar) that had a fire a few years back. Thatched roof and all - ugly mess!
Still, all repaired now.

That's right, the Woolpack in Stoke Mandeville. I drove past it a couple of days ago and, as you say, it was an ugly mess for a while.

[Gravdigr]

Slight drift:

This is the Australian showroom of Conqueror Off Road Campers.

They say it's the largest thatch roofed showroom in Australia. I gotta wonder how many thatch-roofed showrooms there are...



If you have a few minutes, check out their campers at the link. Watch a couple of the videos. Those campers are super awesome. And pricey.

[Sundae]

I'm not just an unfeasibly pretty face, see?

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I'm not just an unfeasibly pretty face, see?

I couldn't agree more.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I'd guess different thatching contractors use different critters like a signature on the roof. A potential customer see's finished rooves roofs jobs they like and note which critter is on it, even if it's subliminal.