History Of Thatched Roof Cottages

There is now less than one.

History of thatched roof cottages.

The thatched roof is the feature we associate most with the irish cottage. At the time of writing we currently offer 50 properties across england and scotland with the majority of these cottages in the southern english counties of kent cornwall gloucestershire including the. For every six or seven thatchers appearing in the 1851 census. A good thatched roof not only makes a country cottage picturesque it is also remarkably long lasting.

Wouldn t it just be the perfect place for a summer in england or a writing holiday. So why do so many cottages in england have thatched roofs. But thatched cottages. A skilled thatcher uses domestic cane to create these beautiful roof lines.

A thatched pub the williams arms at wrafton north devon england. This impossibly quaint semi detached thatch roof cottage is located in the small village of wendlebury in oxfordshire. Churches also used thatch frequently. Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw water reed sedge cladium mariscus rushes heather or palm branches layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed trapping air thatching also functions.

Most thatch used in england is made of long wheat straw grown specially for the purpose. These traditional irish dwellings dot the irish country side built by a process kept safe by generations. Holiday cottages with thatched roofs as you might imagine from a site like historic uk thatched cottages are our proverbial bread and butter. Much later in the late 18th century thatched cottages became an extremely popular theme with the picturesque painters who tried to portray an idealized romantic sanitized version of nature.

In both thatchers and thatched buildings over the last couple of centuries. A bit of tea some scones a good book. A roof thatched by a skilled craftsman can last 40 to 50 years without needing refurbishment all the while providing excellent watertight insulation. Thatched cottages are one of the most beautiful symbols of ireland.

While labour was cheap and thatch was close at hand the craft more than held its own thousands of thatchers covering. This cane plant grows well in moist soils in temperate and fresh climates making it easily available in ireland. Even into the late 1800s thatching was really the only roofing material available to rural residents in england s countryside. 25 lovely english thatched roof cottages.

P erhaps the most important single event in the history of the craft of thatching is the massive decline.