The Craft
For us, one of the pleasures of the job is doing it to a high standard. We're concerned to make sure the standards of the craft are maintained because we're keen to ensure that we do the best work possible. We're not in thatching to thatch badly, which is a waste of time. We like to drive past a thatch we've done and look up, rather than keep our heads down. We always want to be able to meet our customers in the street.
The real skill of thatching is maintaining a constant quality of reed-laying - in terms of the tightness of it, the density of the reed you put on - how neatly you lay the armfuls of reed, one against the other, and generally not trying to cut corners and rushing the whole thing.
I've always said that if you've been taught how to thatch you know how to thatch well. Whether you thatch well is down to you.
The lifespan of a thatched roof can vary according to the kind of material used and whether the roof is south or north facing. South-facing roofs are more exposed to the sun, wind and rain and are likely to need repairing more often. . But most thatched roofs are expected to last 25 to 30 years before they need serious attention.
The straw comes readymade direct from farmers. Some of them specialise in providing the thatchers with their raw material and it is their main source of income. It's still harvested in the old-fashioned way with a binder and left in the fields in stooks, that look like little wigwams.
