Thatch Advice Centre Newsletter No 24
Welcome Everyone!
To the Thatch Advice Centre’s first Newsletter of 2021. We value all of our new and existing subscribers and truly hope everyone is coping with these difficult times. Here at Thatch HQ we have adjusted to the pandemic restrictions and have continued to be extremely busy dealing with a wide range of thatch topics. Thank goodness for the internet – although we do wish ours was a bit faster!
The Stamp Duty holiday seems to have increased the number of enquiries on thatched properties for sale. We also really appreciate the opportunity to help new thatched property owners understand more about these wonderful roofs.
So much has been going on in the world of thatch. We are pleased to be involved in so many thatch related events, from varied problems to strange or interesting situations. Dealing with the enquiries, keeping up with on-going ‘thatch’ issues, as well as finding out about new and interesting ones has been incredibly rewarding and often, at times, hectic.
Thatch specialists have also been handling the pandemic in different ways, some being busier than others, and many finding clever ways to adapt.
In this Newsletter
Updates to our Website
(Articles and Pages)
Flashback Fridays
Owning thatch for the first time?
New Associates on our Thatch Directory
Thatch and Gardens Picture Competition
Social Media Interest
Thatch Fire Statistics and Risk Reduction
Straw Shortage
Some Interesting Enquiries
Thatch Tale
Updates from Previous Newsletters
(HETAS, VAT Campaign and GHG, Apprenticeship, Fire Barriers and Insurance)
Ideas – Can you help?
Positive Feedback from our Thatch Community
Interesting Thatch Project
We need more Thatching Straw Growers
Final Fun Gallery
Test it Tuesdays – Not just for Thatch
Thanks for your Engagement
Obituaries
Thatch – Places to visit
Next Time……
Updates to our Website (Articles and Pages)
- “Thatch and Gardens” Our New Picture Competition. Following on from the success of our previous Finial Fun picture competition we launched this one. Get snapping folks and Email your entries to us.
- “Ways to Avoid Vermin in Thatched Roofs” Too many enquiries with vermin problems so here’s some advice to reduce this risk.
- Our Newsletter 23 put up on the website for those who missed it.
- “Stamp Duty Holiday and Thatch for Sale” Lots of information if you are looking to buy or sell thatch. So many enquiries on this recently that we thought this would be helpful.
- “West Country Thatch” Many thanks to Jack Lewis for writing it and Nigel Bunce for pictures. Their knowledge, experience and great pictures are most appreciated on this informative article.
- First article on “Surveyors and Surveys for Thatched Properties” Useful information from our Associate, Keir Hamilton Surveyors, to assist purchasers of thatched properties or those looking to sell. More such articles are planned so watch this space.
- “Helping Butser Ancient Farm In these difficult times” Their income has dropped 80%. We were happy to help with an article on their forward thinking plan for crowdfunding, to bring Butser online…..
More on Butser later in the Newsletter! - “Thatch for sale in Lincs” Not our usual but, we like to help so, we offered to assist a lady who was struggling, by promoting the sale of her Lincolnshire Thatched Cottage. Hard to understand why this lovely cottage is still for sale, what do you think?
- “2020/2021 Thatching Straw” Our article on the thatching straw situation, availability and resulting conversations which have been happening, especially in regard to listed thatched properties.
Flashback Fridays
We have some fabulous articles, full of relevant and up to date information, on our website. As our newer subscribers may not have seen them, we decided to share them as “Flashback Fridays” on our social media.
In case you missed them…..
“Specifications for Thatching Works” What to think about when specifying or asking for a quotation on thatching works. To help thatched property owners and thatchers alike to avoid future issues and us getting that call!
Information on Historic Environment Scotland and The Engine Shed and their Guide on Thatched Roofs is on our website. We love sharing and working together for the good of thatch!
Our article on the extremely important Fire Protection Association Research into “Fires in Thatched Properties with Woodburning Stoves”
Sparks and embers are a proven risk, as is a damaged chimney. Heat transfer (conduction) through solid brickwork was proven “unrepresentative of reality”. We want to remind everyone, when the weather turns colder, to make sure your chimneys are sound, clean and to Burnright.
Thatch Fire Prevention Article which we wrote for the Conservation and Heritage Journal. Triggered by a spate of thatch fires – we wanted to remind you about staying safe. Understand and reduce the risks. Prevention is best.
Owning Thatch for the First Time?
Have you just bought a thatched property, and not lived under thatch before? Welcome to our growing Thatch Community. Have no worries, we have loads of useful information on our website, articles to help you and many specialists who can assist you in living under and maintaining your thatched roof.
Follow us on social media where we share and engage in even more “thatch” discussion, advice and fun. In addition, we and our Associates have a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you, e.g. inspection reports (from thatchers not wanting work), insurance, pest control, chimney sweeps, and fire safety or even help with recommendations/indicative future maintenance costs.
If the thatched property is listed or you are planning a new build or thatched extension, it is also something we can assist with. If we don’t know the answer to your question we usually know someone who does or can point you in the right direction.
New Associates on our Thatch Directory
NFU Mutual Wessex – Insurance covering Wiltshire & Dorset
ICS – Chimney Sweeping Organisation.
They are also part of the Federation of British Chimney Sweeps
Adam Nash – Master Thatcher in Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset.
Craftwork Master Thatchers, based in Kent
P B Chimney Sweeps in Suffolk
Chiltern Garden Buildings – Experienced in supplying and installing Natural Thatch Tiles.
Paul Shelley, Master Thatcher in Essex.
The Cotswold Thatcher – Paul Clemons covering Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
Thatch and Gardens Picture Competition
Our fun Thatch and Gardens Picture Competition is attracting some great entries. It runs until midnight on 1st September 2021, so keep your lovely pictures coming (up to 4 entries per person). More information on this competition.
Following on from the success of the Finial Fun competition, and its subsequent gallery, (which we are still happy to add pictures to and credit you for), we are planning a gallery of the Thatch and Garden pictures too. We will let you know on social media when it is up to view or check in on our website.
Social Media Interest
- Well done to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue. A chimney fire in a thatched property was promptly extinguished before it spread.
- Why does a teenager set fire to a thatched property? Sadly, Grade II Listed as well. All that distress and use of resources. More info.
- Looking for a few bundles of great quality Thatch straw e.g. Maris Widgeon for someone in the West Midlands for straw craft.
- How was your Half Term? Some lovely thatched cottages in Lyndhurst are well photographed but not always with so much traffic or from this angle! As you can see the New Forest was busy!!
- Friday Feeling – Peaceful. Compare this picture with the one from Half Term – a lot quieter in Lyndhurst.
- Wednesday Wonderings on Tiled roofs. One person wanting to change thatch to tiles! Not our thing really. Then two enquiries, within a week, on changing tiles to thatch – Much more interesting.
- Chance to win a home security system for your thatched property? Wireless, night vision and two way audio. We were happy to promote One Broker’s competition.
- Wednesday Woes. We are not the Thatch Police but are sad to hear that in these difficult times there are a few thatchers taking advantage. As always, we are happy to help with advice and navigating you to those who can assist.
- The Wroughton Thatched Cottage arsonist has been found guilty and sentenced. Was hard to know what else to say! What did you think?
- Some Thatch Advice Centre Team members even shared their Christmas Trees and decorations to get us in the Christmassy spirit.
- Over 500 enquiries in 2020… we wondered what 2021 would bring.
- Well done to the National Coppice Federation. We shared information on spars and the coppice wood they come from. As many spars are currently imported, it would be great if we can increase UK production. These skills are so important with associated trades working together .
- We put up a picture of a very thick thatch and asked how many layers you thought! – Our Associate, who sent in the picture, stopped counting at 9 layers!! This roof was definitely too thick, too flat and too heavy with these multiple layers.
- Proud to be top of the useful contacts lists in the “Thatched Roofs – Fire Safety” section of WT Knowles & Sons Ltd’s Tech Info page. Established over 100 years ago, they are family run and the only privately owned manufacturer of clay chimney pots in the UK.
- Happy Valentine’s Day – We shared Country Living Magazine’s 5 picture perfect cottages for sale (romantic ones), four of which were thatched!
- Fire Safety Advice – IMPORTANT REMINDER – When did you last sweep your chimney?
Thatch Fire Statistics and Risk Reduction
A few too many thatch roof fires in the last few weeks!! Please make sure you sweep your chimney regularly and are careful with what and how you burn. Our Associates with the Magma Firestop Fire Retardant Spray confirmed increased enquiries which, they believe, is down to the insurance companies/underwriters understanding of risk reduction. It is also important to remember the good Burnright advice too.
Plenty of Thatch Fire Safety information on our website. Please read.
There is a lack of Home Office statistics on Thatched Roof Fires. Thank you for, and please continue, letting us know (email or phone) of any thatched roof fires in your area. We are helping Historic England to monitor these fire numbers and causes so we can improve knowledge and advice.
We are also proud to be recognised by Hampshire Fire Service for all the work we have done over the years in understanding and promoting the up to date Thatch Fire Safety message. They added our logo! And…. more usefully … a link to our Thatch Fire Safety leaflet on their website, so everyone can understand and reduce the risks.
Happy Days. #workingtogether.
Straw Shortage?
Lots of conversations about shortages of thatching straw following a bad/reduced yield/harvest in 2020/2021.
This has an impact not only on thatchers’ workloads and listed properties (which have to be thatched in the same material to the same style etc.) but also has implications for homeowners who are faced with situations of waiting longer for a rethatch or contemplating the options.
At the beginning of March, we ended up writing an article covering some of the conversations/points which have been raised recently.
These not so good harvests are nothing new!
We had been awaiting Historic England’s response to the straw shortage. On 31st March, we received confirmation that they have updated their website. We have not had an opportunity to fully digest this yet but it appears to be in line with the information previously discussed.
It is important that everyone works together to achieve the best results for our thatched properties and heritage buildings’ maintenance. Future straw supply is an important issue. Growing good thatching straw requires many things apart from the right weather. Land, knowledge, skills, specialist machinery and special varieties of seed are all needed. It then needs a skilled thatcher to prepare and apply it, in order to maximise its longevity on the roof.
We will, as ever, keep you informed of developments in this respect.
Some Interesting Enquiries
- Looking for Longstraw – for making Corn dollies
- Bunded oil tank – Distance from thatch
- Converting agricultural land to reed beds
- Roundhouse Building – several including enquiries from schools
- Interesting architectural projects
- Water reed fencing panels
- Problems with thatchers, (beware memberships do not always give protection to the consumer or the thatcher)
- Insects in reed
- Rafter replacements and listed buildings
- Old Pole ladder looking for a new home (Sadly not a thatching one)
- Building a cob house in USA
- Water reed flooring
- Velux windows and thatch
- Vegetation on thatch…
Thatch Tale
“May your cottage roof be well thatched, and those inside be well matched”
We meet many people in a variety of ways. We “met” our_emeraldhome on Instagram. Their great Instagram post in February had the above first line which we felt we had to share with you. They said that the Irish are famous for their Irish Blessings and witty way with words so we hope you like it as much as we did….
They love their thatched cottage and say it brings a smile to their face every day…. PS their business is called Emerald Guitars!
Updates from Previous Newsletters
Listed Buildings – VAT Campaign and ..
No update on this APPG campaign, which is understandable during the current climate. The issue of Green Homes Grant was also causing concern in that “listed buildings are left out in the cold again”. We now understand this grant scheme is being reviewed. With our friends at LPOC, we plan to bring you updates.
HETAS Technical Advice on Thatch
Concerns raised on the updated advice. It is also interestingly no longer available to the public, as it used to be. This has been discussed with Historic England who are attempting to gain some clarity on this situation. We will keep you posted.
Apprenticeship
Planning the restart of this important work is imminent, as it has been on hold due to COVID. We are so looking forward to updating everyone on progress. It is great to have more thatchers showing an interest and more potential apprentices are also coming forward.
In the meantime, we seem to be helping those looking for apprentices and those looking to be trained find each other! Our Social media is handy in this respect.
Fire Barriers v Fire Resisting Barriers
Difference between a fire barrier and fire resisting barrier can be considerable – not just in price! Make sure you, and your insurer, know the difference and what protection is given to the property. Seems, currently, to be too many insurance and court cases on this subject.
Insurance
So many calls on insurance issues. We strongly recommend you spend some time on the phone to find the best policy to meet your needs. Contact some of the great Specialist Insurance Companies on our Thatch Directory
Health and Safety
Important during these times. Jaybee Safety on line courses have been very helpful indeed.
Ideas – Can you help?
We have so many subscribers, well over 5,000 now, so the cost of sending out the Newsletter is increasing.
Any ideas how we can fund it?
Charging a subscription is not an option, as we want it to remain free!
Someone mentioned sponsorship for each Newsletter? And then we can promote the sponsor(s) in the Newsletter? What do you think?
Please get in touch – all ideas gratefully received.
During the pandemic everyone has been thinking outside the box!
Positive Feedback from our Thatch Community
“Really useful, do appreciate help, very grateful”
“Just thought I would ask the Oracle”
“Keep up the splendid work”
“Keep up the good work in maintaining our national building heritage”
“You’re brilliant”
“Really impressed with what you have been saying, Thank you”
“Very helpful on line, most appreciate the help available”
“Thank you for your time I really appreciate it”
“You have been so very helpful. Thanks very much”
“Lots of good stuff on website really useful, thank you”
“Really appreciate your call”
“So helpful”
“So wonderful & helpful, so grateful”
“It’s an amazing organisation, working to help for the right reasons”
These comments really make our work and effort seem so much more worthwhile. We thank you all for the kind comments which give us determination to carry on… and on..
Interesting Thatch Project
We are always happy to promote Butser Ancient Farm. In early March they starting thatching work on the second Saxon Hall and they also gave us an update on their crowdfunding scheme.
“Butser Ancient Farm have been humbled by the support they have received for their ‘100 Ambassadors’ crowdfunding campaign. Huge thanks to everyone who has shared or donated to support this unique heritage site.
Through the campaign Butser are delighted to have raised over £12,000, surpassing their initial target! This funding will help them to adapt to the demands of the past year and create a new online space to share and support the experimental archaeology, ancient skills, research and educational work conducted at the ancient farm in Hampshire.
The online platform will feature professionally shot video content, giving a behind-the-scenes insight into the many projects and ancient skills practiced at Butser. Supporters will pay a small monthly donation to access the online platform and, in so doing, will also contribute to the survival of the Ancient Farm.
Keep an eye on the Butser Ancient Farm social media channels and website for more details of when this will launch and how you can support this not-for-profit community interest company as they adapt to the challenges of the past year. “
We hope you will continue to support them and we will, of course, keep you posted.
We Need More Thatching Straw Growers
Further to discussion with the National Thatching Straw Growers Association and growers – A plan is afoot!!
Watch this space …..
Final Fun Gallery
Even though our fabulous Finial Fun Competition is finished you can still send us great pictures of thatch finials to add to our new Finial Fun Gallery.
We are happy to credit you, so it’s a great opportunity for free promotion. Even better if we decide to use your picture(s) in the future for our social media etc.
“Test it Tuesdays – Not Just for thatch”
We were so thrilled to be asked to write a piece entitled “Test it Tuesday Campaign – Not just for Thatch!” for The Herald.
They had noticed our regular social media posts (primarily on FB) and were happy to promote our important fire safety message to their readership. More working together!
Please remember that a quick like and share/RT of our post will help remind your friends and family too. Working Smoke and CO alarms make a difference.
Thanks for Your Engagement
- Pictures
- Sharing and liking of our social media posts
- Information for and help with Articles
Get in touch if you have something to contribute - Assistance with some of the fascinating queries
- Calls and general involvement
are all hugely appreciated and makes our Community even stronger.
It helps to keep everyone up to date with what is going on and is also validation of what we do. So thank you and keep on communicating with us.
PS – Don’t forget that great pictures of thatch are always appreciated and, if we use them, you will be credited.

Obituaries:-
- Simon Sinkinson
- Adrian Davis (Sage)
- Mark Croucher
Thatch – Places to visit
COVID has caused disruption to so many businesses. Many visitor attractions around the country include thatch and have been affected. Their resilience in thinking outside the box has to be commended but we hope they will get everyone’s support as soon as they are able to reopen.
Some of the old listed thatched properties also rely on visitor contributions for their survival and we are keen to promote them in any way we can. Get in touch if you want our help.
Next Time
Updates to Website
Updates from previous Newsletters
New Associates
Thatch and Gardens Picture Competition Winner
New Picture Competition
Maintenance Issue
What a good idea
Master Thatcher
Your thatched Roof
And more…
Copyright
The content of the Thatch Advice Centre email is circulated to its subscribers and is copyright. These contents may only be reproduced with the permission of the Thatch Advice Centre.
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