Water reed thatching, Walnut Tree Road, Pirton, Hertfordshire, 2011.
About
A Life on Roofs
From the First, to the Last.
After 8 years as an apprentice and journeyman, working alongside experienced craftsmen, I faced the prospect of making my own way as a thatcher.
My very first job as a solo thatcher was a complete water reed re-thatch, a job that also required extensive repairs to the roof structure. It was a daunting first project to handle alone, but also a good start and a real boost to the confidence.
Over 30 years have passed since that first job, and during that time I have seen many changes in the world of thatching.
The transportation and handling of materials has been transformed by bulk packaging and mechanisation.
Unloading and stacking a 40ft trailer containing over two thousand bundles of water reed used to be a very long and hard days work. It can now be done within an hour by one man in a machine. Essentially a different process, the same result.
A planned and productive order of work is also an essential part of thatching if it is to be done efficiently. It is however, now more than ever before, possible to remove a great deal of the craft element from roof thatching. The more craft you can eliminate from the process, the faster the job. Sadly, speed and profit all too often take priority over traditional craftsmanship.
It has been my aim from the very beginning to produce work that stands out from the crowd. Maintaining time honoured traditional craft values and techniques is, I believe, crucial to the process, and for me what thatching is about.
