Thatched cottages and farm buildings
were common in rural Britain for a millenium or more. It was not
only cottages that were thatched, in 1300 the great Norman castle
at Pevensey (Sussex) bought up 6 acres of rushes to roof the hall
and chambers. Being built early in the reign of Elizebeth I when
most middle or lower class housing had thatched roofs, Little England
Cottage has maintained many features of the original construction
including its thatched roof. In those times bundles of straw or reed
approximately 8" or 9" in diameter and 3 to 7 feet long were piled
on to the timber roof frame amd held in place with wooden pegs
or stakes. In many case the roof was the only place where animals
could find warmth so many of them including cats, dogs as well
as rats and mice lived under or on the thatch roof. During periods
of severe rain the thatched roof became slippery and the animals
curled up on the outside slope would slide off, giving rise to the
old saying "It's raining cats and dogs".
Whilst protecting the occupants from extremes of the weather
a thatched roof maintains the property interior warm in winter
and cool in the hottest summer; Little-England's interior remains
suprisingly constant at about 19C with a little aid from central
heating during the colder periods of the year. As with all things,
thatching does have a finite life and after a survey carried out
in the autumn of 2005 it was decided to re-thatch the roof of the
cottage. In glorous sunshine work on re-thatching Little England
Cottage started in April 2006. Starting at one corner the roof
was stripped of old thatch which was in places brittle after being
on the roof for approximately 25 years. Layers of bundled reed
were then carried up and laid in courses upwards from the eaves
to the ridge with the butts of the stalks exposed. Each layer is
held in place with stainless steel wires and the fixings of each
course covered by the layer above. When it rains water striking
the apex of the roof is transferred down the surface from stem to
stem of the thatch material until it finally drops from the eaves.
Thatched roofs do not have guttering but due to the overhang deliver
rain water directly to the ground well clear of the buildings side
walls.
There are two ridge styles used on thatched roofs in this country; flush or
"wrap-over" and block cut. Whilst visiting South Africa some years
ago we did come across thatched properties with clay ridges. Traditionally
the Dorset ridge was flush with the plane of the roof with cross-stitch
like patterning made from lengths of split hazlewood (liggers)
clamped into the ridge spars. The weather, having remained hot and
sunny throughout the time work was being undertaken, turned to light
rain on the day the ridge was started. The ridge of Little England
is straw, flush with the roof plane and held in place using traditional
hazelwood liggers. As if by order along came the rain which helped by making straw and hazelwood more pliable and thus enabling a good covering
to be achieved in this most vunerable part of the roof.
Once the roof is fully covered the thatch material is dressed
into shape with the use of a legget to give that lovely smooth
appearance associated with thatched roofs. Before about 1550, the
date Little-England was built, roofs were relatively simple in
design. After that date rooms started to become more airy and better
lit through the introduction of half dormers: the window cuts into
the wall but projects above the line of the eaves. Here the thatch
is "eyebrowed" in
gentle sweeps that rise above the roof plane and blend in gracious
curves leaving no valleys. After more than three months of work the roof
of Little England was finally finished and the new golden thatch
gave the building a refreshed look. With scaffolding removed
and the final remains of old thatch cleaned away Little England
Cottage returned once more to the peace and quiet of its surroundings.
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