![]() ![]() While the buildings changed shape, the basic construction materials stayed the same. There wasn’t much significant change in thatched roofs for a good thousand years after the Iron Age. As you can imagine, finding archaeological evidence of things like reed and straw is pretty difficult. This puts it very firmly in the Mesolithic era, although it’s certainly possible that people were thatching buildings before then. It’s believed to have been built around 7,800BC, and there is evidence that its roof used turf and reed thatch. One of the earliest examples we have in the UK (and, indeed, the world) of a thatched building is Howick House in England. However, evidence of thatching dates back to the Neolithic period, around 6700 BC, as seen in the remains of a settlement at Çatalhöyük in modern-day Turkey. The Continued History of Thatched Roofsĭetermining the oldest ever thatched roof is challenging due to the organic nature of the materials used, which are prone to decay and do not preserve well over time.It is an abundantly available, rapidly renewable, and a carbon negative resource that can be efficiently wild harvested, or cultivated, so as to not disturb the marine habitat. The seaweed thatch is proven to last for centuries. The salt makes it fireproof, pest, and rot resistant. The eel grass is infused with salt from growing in the ocean. The few examples exist on the island of Læsø in Denmark. ![]() Researchers are experimenting with the Viking tradition of sea weed (eel grass) thatch. For example, William Cahill cuts 40 acres of water reed every year in New Jersey. Often times thatchers harvest their own thatch. Q: What material are thatch roofs made of? A: Most commonly thatch consists of long straw wheats or water reed, but there are many other thatches such as heather, palm, bamboo, eucalyptus, and willow. We’ll cover more on this topic in another post. Historical villages such as Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama in Japan receive heavy snow in winter and are known for their thatch tradition. A roof with this pitch or greater is more attractive anyway, in our opinion. William Cahill says that thatch is suitable for snowy climates if the roof pitch is at least 12/12 (45 degrees), preferably greater. Q: Is thatch suitable for snowy climates? A: To cope with snow, thatch roofs are steeply pitched. Sketch of a thatch eave detail with the Dorset model. However, there are at least 100,000 in Japan, 4,000 to 5,000 added annually in Holland, and an estimated two million in Africa! Thatch is less common in the US, but thatcher William Cahill estimates that there are thatched buildings in at least every state. A 2013 report estimated that there were 60,000 properties in the UK and Ireland with a thatched roof. Q: How many buildings are roofed with thatch? A: The United Kingdom and Ireland are known for the strength of their past and present thatching tradition. It doesn’t get more green than that! Frequently asked Questions: Unlike most roofing, thatch is biodegradable, so it’ll simply decompose when it’s disposed of. Since it can be sourced locally, using thatch can help boost local economies. It’s a rapidly renewable resource ready for harvest once if not several times a year. Thatch can be grown most anywhere, which can make it easy to locally source. ![]() For several reasons, thatch is highly sustainable. Cahill says that people today travel and are exposed to a variety of things, whether it's a Bosch washer, European cars, or thatch roofs. He says it’s a lovely feeling to know you are preserving an ancient building craft, using sustainable/green materials and creating a unique custom product with each handmade roof. "It's the first form of roofing it the world," says Cahill. He has a small forge of his own back in Ohio, where he crafts many of his own tools. Since there are a smaller number of thatchers here, as evidenced by the variety of project locations in their portfolios, nationwide travel is often part of their work.Ĭahill’s tool chest is not of the hammer and nail variety. ![]() When a thatched house in Maine was listed for sale it increased traffic on its road enough to draw the attention of the police. While thatch hasn't been as common in the U.S., Cahill estimates that there are thatched buildings in every state. Slevin was instrumental in getting the Smithsonian Institute to sponsor William’s work on the prestigious Jamestown Church project in the historic Jamestown Virginia Settlement in 1986. He mentored under Peter Slevin, the only thatcher in the United States who has been here since the 1950s. William trained with his good friend, the late Peter Brockett, the master thatcher who led the thatch training school for the English Thatchers Association. He has been thatching in the US for over 30 years. Roof thatcher William Cahill, a native of Ireland, is based in Ohio. The Drum Inn of Cockington under a thatched roof ![]()
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