There are more thatched roofs in the UK and Ireland than in any other European country but Winkle Street, in the quaint Village of Calbourne, on the Isle of Wight, England is one of the most charming displays of this ancient roofing technique. There, most all the dwellings employ this three century year-old, quintessential English way to provide covering for one's home ensuring warmth in winter and cool in summer. Once employed only by the poor, it now has become the choice of affluent people, a sign of wealth rather than poverty.
Thatched roofs can be made from straw, sedge, rushes and heather, but most preferably water reed. The availability of good quality thatching straw declined in England after the introduction of the combine harvester in the late 1930s-40s and the release of short-stemmed wheat varieties. The increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser in the 1960s-70s also weakened straw. However, since the 1980s, specialist farmers have returned to growing heritage varieties of wheat in organic conditions.
Interestingly, 80% of the water reed used in the UK is now imported from Turkey, Eastern Europe and China. It requires 4-5 acres of reed to thatch an average house. Depending on the type and quality of materials used, a new thatch lasts between 15-35years. Thatch is quite adept at shedding water, it is a renewable resource and a way to properly preserve historic buildings.
Nesting birds can end up making a hole in the pocket of the thatch. Squirrels are particularly fond of hiding their nuts in thatch in the autumn. But the worst damage is caused by rats, which gain access to the roof space and then burrow their way through the thatch. So vigilance and the right precautionary measures are essential.
Perhaps the prophet Jeremiah sat under a thatched roof as he wrote, 'stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls' (Jeremiah 6:16). According to Jeremiah, it seems that ancient ways are not all passe. Just like thatched roofs, returning to certain former ways has merit.
If you'd care to see a demonstration depicting the complexity involved in thatching a roof, check out the following YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmhXww92Lk&feature=related
