Latest news with #thatching
BBC News
24-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Two-year waiting list' for thatched roof repairs in Devon
Roof thatchers in the South West have said they have a backlog of at least two years' work, partly due to a shortage of people wanting to work in the say the short-supply of straw and several seasons of bad weather have made it harder to keep up with the demand for Devon and Cornwall Master Thatcher Association said fewer young people were making inquiries about learning the thatcher Tony Jackson said: "We used to get 12 to 15 applications of people wanting to be apprentices but in the last six years we've had three or four, it's dropped right off." Will Sanders started work as Mr Jackson's apprentice six years ago and said he greatly enjoys his job."I worked a summer with Tony and I really enjoyed the labour, working with my hands, and that was it for me," he said."You are constantly learning too, which is great."Tom Paterson said he became a thatcher's apprentice after leaving a career as a structural engineer and found he loved "being on the roofs"."I really wanted to learn the craft and to make things with my hands." Author Tom Allan, also felt the draw of the straw 13 years ago, leaving a job in publishing to become a thatcher and now helping train apprentices of his said: "When you spend a long time learning the craft, it could be tempting to keep that knowledge to yourself, but it's good to get to share it with other people because that's the only way to keep the whole thing going".Master thatcher Lars Blackwell said it was a fabulous job."You are working on some of the most beautiful properties, you really make your mark, you know, and everyone loves thatched roofs". 'All-weather job' Edwina Wakley from the Devon and Cornwall Master Thatcher Association said the backlog was "due to the shortage of straw" after "very poor weather over the past two years".The bad weather has also affected the speed at which thatchers are able to work, and also put people off learning the trade, she said "much of the interest [previously] came from seeing a thatcher working on a sunny day - all very idyllic but perhaps not quite so in torrential rain and extremely cold conditions. Seldom was much interest expressed then."Once [it is] explained that it is an all-weather job and that there is a long apprenticeship, it is not quite so appealing."The association attends shows in the region each year where people interested in becoming thatchers can find out more.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Precious crafts of thatching and violin-making are under threat
Your article on the sad decline in some British crafts (Welsh thatching and ship figurehead carving added to UK crafts red list, 13 May) noted that 'thatched roofs in Wales are becoming 'more similar to English styles of thatch'. The Welsh style is different, with a rounder outside appearance.' There is in fact no such thing as 'Welsh' thatching, or 'English' come to that. In both the north and south of Wales, the craft has long shared styles with its English neighbours. Angular work in the north is also found in Lancashire and Cheshire, while rounded thatch in combed cereal straw in the very south is identical to that found in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. This has been the case for at least two centuries. The type of thatch seen in the photo published online with your article was common in south-west Wales, but the 'rolled gable' feature can be still found from Northamptonshire to Dumfries. The original straw roping on these Welsh roofs was also seen in Ireland, along with the decorative 'rope top' ridging, once widespread throughout Wales. In doing research for my website, I realised that the craft follows no political boundaries. The various traditional styles are essentially a combination of climate and material supply, perhaps combined with some very early folk CookMilborne Port, Somerset Steven Morris's article prompts me to mention two severe blows that have hit the craft of violin-making and restoration in this country. The first was the recent death of Charles Beare, internationally renowned as the leading authority and connoisseur of violins, violas and cellos, and a lifelong, generous supporter of young makers. His passing leaves London very much the poorer as a world centre of expertise in this specialised field. The second blow is that the degree programme at the Newark School of Violin Making will not be running this year, apparently because there were not enough applicants. Over the last 50 years, the Newark school, in Nottinghamshire, has nurtured a generation of people from all over the world dedicated to the craft, which can be traced back to the Tudor period in this country, and came to rival similar schools in Cremona, Italy, and Mittenwald, Germany. The abandonment of the violin-making course would be a great loss to craft and music. I should add that my entire career in this fantastic trade was given to me by the Newark school and by Charles Beare. So I am biased, but particularly DilworthTwickenham, London
