Edward J Taylor, Master Thatcher, Chideock, Dorset

Behind the Scenes

To provide you with a brief insight as to what work is carried out I have included below some examples of work that I have undertaken along with descriptions of the process and method used.

The work begins......
Below you can see the repair work that has been carried out to an old roof to ensure that it is structurally sound before thatching can take place. The roof has to be strengthened as the old timbers had become unsound.
As you can see traditional thatching techniques are being used here. The wheat reed is being laid in courses and sparring is being used on each layer to hold the thatch in place.
The tool being used here is known as the thatchers biddle or legget.This tool is used to dress in the reed to the desired position and then to drive home the spars once they're in place.
Here I am about to bring along the top line. It is important to keep the top line level, this will affect how the ridge will lay.
Here I am about half way up the roof sparring down another layer. The spars are driven in about 4 to 5 inches apart.
The tool holding the wheat straw is a groom.