Monday 26 April 2021

Thatching in Blewbury

 

After some of the replies I had last week about the thatched cottages I though you might like to see how it is done. Blewbury is along the road from where I live and I used to pass though the village on my way to work. There are a few Thatched cottages along the road I went and a barn. Here is some of what you can see. the blog is a bit picture heavy as there is a lot to see.

One of the cottages

Typical chocolate box cottage with roses

One with a thatched wall

They are called Cob walls and are thatched to keep the rain off as the cob is made of mud, horse manure and straw

There are a lot of placed you can walk to in the village a network of paths


 
 This barn was on the London road which I drove along so I stopped to get photos on my way to and back from work
 

The new thatch is placed on the old stuff underneath which is compacted down over the years
 
 
It's pinned in place with wooden staples made of hazel and called spars, the thatching is normally straw though Norfolk reed is supposed to be the best
 

It is a very skilled job with is dying out
 
 
The finished barn
 

You can see how straight they cut the eves, bit left to do on the end
 
 
Mind you around this are you need to watch out for the Dragons on the roof.
 
 Taking Part in My Little Corner of the World  Our World Tuesday and Imag-in-ing, you can find all the links in the right hand column Take care everyone.

15 comments:

  1. I admire the skill of a thatcher. Not sure I would like a thatched roof but the houses look very attractive

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    Replies
    1. I know a young lad in the village who was an apprentice thatcher but he gave up after finishing, shame really there are not many of them around

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  2. Replies
    1. Yes a lot of villages have them and a few new builds as well

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  3. That thatched barn is very smart when completed, I hoe we keep these skills going as thatched cottages are such a British joy to see.

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  4. I've never seen a thatched roof. I find them fascinating. How often do they generally need to be re-thatched? Or does one just build up a layer atop the older thatch?
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/04/cape-hatteras-lighthouse.html

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  5. They get thatched around every thirty years, the thatching on top of old is new and something I did not realise they did

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  6. I live in the Netherlands for about three years in a thatched roof cottage. A man all alone rethatched it . It took weeks...

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    Replies
    1. I would think it would if you were working alone. I have been to the Netherlands but I cannot remember seeing any thatched houses

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  7. I'm always amazed by such workmanship! It's such a fantastic snipped of the past. I love the dragon so much :)

    Thanks for being a part of 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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