UK - Suffolk - Traditional thatchers on roof

Layering water reed on to the roof of a Suffolk cottage, traditional thatchers work together in afternoon sun. While in the background new straw is brought up onto the roof while in the foreground another thatcher leans into the ladder and the roof's slope. Using a thatching tool called a Leggett, Legate, bat or dresser to position the thatch on the roof. Typically one end is treated so as to catch the ends of the reed used. This tool is used by the thatcher to dress the reed into place and ensure an even finish. Using techniques developed over thousands of years, good thatch will not require frequent maintenance. In England a ridge will normally last 10-15 years. Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof.

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Layering water reed on to the roof of a Suffolk cottage, traditional thatchers work together in afternoon sun. While in the background new straw is brought up onto the roof while in the foreground another thatcher leans into the ladder and the roof's slope. Using a thatching tool called a Leggett, Legate, bat or dresser to position the thatch on the roof. Typically one end is treated so as to catch the ends of the reed used. This tool is used by the thatcher to dress the reed into place and ensure an even finish. Using techniques developed over thousands of years, good thatch will not require frequent maintenance. In England a ridge will normally last 10-15 years. Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof.