This is a typical Berkshire style, combed wheat reed thatch, with an ornamental block ridge, cut to our usual pattern.

The customer built an extension to the existing property and wanted to have it thatched, however, the planners in their infinite wisdom would not allow this and as you can see from the photo it was tiled  (which do you think would be better?).

In the process of extending the property a new oak framed porch was attached  to the rear elevation and fortunately we were allowed to thatch it.  Blending the thatch of the new structure into the re-thatch of the existing roof was quite a challenge – you can see from the photo how successful it was.

The property is in the pretty village of Brightwalton, Berkshire which boasts many lovely old thatched buildings.

It is always nice to revisit properties that we have worked on in the past.  We first worked on this roof thirty years ago and have subsequently returned for re-ridging and part re-thatching in the intervening period.

As can be seen from the photo the original cottage has been extended on two separate occasions and this has produced three different styles of window.  On this occasion only the front elevation and ridge needed replacing.  It remains to be seen whether we will still be thatching when the rear elevation needs attention!

The property is situated in Beedon, Berkshire and the style of window on the original cottage is quite unusual for this area.

The cottage before work began

Queen Charlotte’s Cottage in Kew Gardens was built around 1770 for Her Majesty as a pleasant ‘rustic’ retreat in which she could take tea with her family.  When refurbishment was started in 2008 Bardsley and Brown were delighted to be asked to reridge the cottage and to rethatch the small pavilion near it as part of the restoration.  To call it a cottage is a slight understatement though, you could fit two or three traditional cottages inside it!  It is set in in a quiet corner of Kew Gardens, quite a distance from the main tourist attractions and the beautiful woodlands around it, including a conservation area, are still a favoured spot for picnics.  Work on the cottage was enlivened by frequent appearances of flocks of parrots and wonderfully exotic looking pheasants.

Squirrel trouble

The old damaged flashing

The old lead flashing below the chimneys needed replacing as, surprisingly,  it had been eaten by squirrels.  Apparently squirrel damage to lead is a fairly common occurrence.  There are several theories about squirrels eating lead, the most likely one being that as their teeth continue to grow throughout their lives, they need to chew constantly on hard substances to keep them trimmed!  No-one seems to know if this gives squirrels lead poisoning or not but it is certainly very bad for the lead flashing on old chimneys.

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squirrel damaged lead

close-up showing toothmarks

New lead flashing

As you can see, they had chewed away quite a large amount of lead.  After replacing the old flashing and repointing the chimney, the new lead was covered with wire netting to discourage the squirrels in the future.

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Getting materials up to the roof

using a pulley to lift materials to the eaves

The last 15 feet

hazel spars

The roof of the cottage was unusually high for thatch so pulleys were used to bring bundles of sedge and hazel spars up to the level of the eaves where they could be stacked on the scaffolding.  However all the bundles still needed to be carried by hand up the ladders to the ridge.

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The ridge

A bundle of sedge

the untrimmed sedge and hazel spars

cutting the ridge pattern with shears

using a knife for the final trimming

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The cottage was thatched in Norfolk reed and, as is usual with reed thatch, the ridge is made of sedge,  a tough and scratchy looking riverside grass with razor sharp leaf edges.  The materials and the ridge pattern matched those used originally on the cottage.

The finished ridge

the scaffolding still up.

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And finally, The cottage with all the work completed

Queen Charlotte's Cottage, Kew Gardens

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We will certainly recommend you to anyone we know who requires a similar job.

Thatched Porch

This charming porch was thatched in Water Reed with a block cut ornamental ridge. The ridge pattern matches that on the the roof.

An enclosed porch, built new and thatched in Combed Wheat Reed with a block ridge.

porch5

A small semi-circular porch in Combed Wheat Reed which has a simple flush ridge and so does not appear too fussy.

porches 4

A half hipped Combed Wheat Reed porch below the eaves of a new thatch.

porches 2

The shape reflects the eyebrow above the window.

porches 1

the thatch today

Recently he visited it only to find that the new owners had moved in three days earlier. They were delighted to meet him and to see some photos of the house as it was when he had last seen it.

We use all the main thatching materials, (Long Straw, Combed Wheat Reed and Water Reed), although presently, Combed Wheat Reed is by far the most commonly used material in the area.

We will happily advise on a programme of work for the thatching requirements of a property and willingly liase with builders,architects, surveyors and conservation officers, as needed, at both planning and building stages.

We are able to give independent roof surveys for estate agents, potential purchasers of thatched properties, insurance companies and thatch owners.

We have thatched roofs of all shapes and sizes from a large modern family house through pubs and even a small dog kennel!

Jane Brown and Mig Bardsley are partners in the business. Jane does all the secretarial work while Mig deals with some of the day-to-day administration.

In 1987, the OBBMTA along with nine other county based Master Thatchers ‘ Associations helped form the National Council of Master Thatchers’ Associations (NCMTA) to deal with matters concerning the thatching industry at a national level. For many years, Barney was the OBBMTA representative in the NCMTA.

At present Barney is the OBBMTA representative on both the Thatching Standards Committee and the Occupational Working Group on Thatching. With the help of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), these two bodies are formulating an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in thatching. NVQ levels 2 and 3 are now up and running.
Away from work, Barney enjoys woodturning and is one of a small co-operative, which runs a local craft gallery where some of his output is displayed and sold. The woodturning is also a handy and pleasant way of providing birthday and Christmas presents for friends and family!

Barney also plays guitar in a local Barn Dance band, “Sensible Shoes” with his wife Mig who plays the fiddle. They perform at local functions, weddings, parties and the like.

They have three children and four grandchildren and a cat.

They do not live in a thatched cottage on the premise that “the cobblers’ children are worst shod” and so the Thatcher’s roof might not be the best advertisement for his own work!

Having spent a couple of years renovating his house, David now has some spare time during which he enjoys looking after his smallholding, renovating vintage tractors, and sharing the care of several rescued donkeys and ponies with his wife, Jane.

David and Jane have two children.