History Of Thatched Roof Cottages

With a history dating back more than 300 years this picturesque thatched cottage boasts a wealth of exposed beams timber floors and fireplaces.

History of thatched roof cottages. In some equatorial countries thatch is the prevalent local material for roofs and often walls. Thatch roof cottage in devon where a fifth of all britain s thatched roofs are located. The storybook countryside of hedgerows grazing sheep thatched roof cottages and stately homes harks back to the days of the medieval wool trade peter adams jai corbis. It is believed that cottages evolved as advancing building techniques employed for the.

And even in the 21st century there are still about 1 000 professional thatchers covering storybook cottages with thatch of straw cereals or norfolk reeds. Irish cottage history evolving from hut to cottage. Saw domestic thatching still thriving. The thatched lock keepers cottage being a century older than the canal as the nineteenth century progressed only the areas where the canals and railways were late in coming or never arrived.

However one of the main reasons for this limited number of windows was the infamous window tax imposed by the british government from 1799 to 1851. Continue to 4 of 10 below. Churches also used thatch frequently. Thatch roofing has a history that goes back thousands of years making it one of the most time tested types of roofing.

The hearth fireplace. Thatching methods have traditionally been passed down from generation to generation and numerous descriptions of the materials and methods used in europe over the past three centuries survive in archives and early publications. This helped limit heat loss in winter and kept the interior of the cottages cool in the summer months. Pink thatched cottage in bunratty folk park irish thatched cottages boasted few windows.

In fact this roofing material has probably been in use in britain since people first began gathering in villages. It was the predominant roofing material in many places until the 1800s and remains the signature roofing of the country cottage. Early cottages did not have any foundations however as they advanced trenches were dug and.