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Running along the end of the garden of the
clergy house is
the Cuckmere River (left) where water reeds grow. It's not surprising
then that the house was thatched over the centuries with water reed
which still forms the base coat of the thatch.
Reeds grows best in salty water and are common in marshy
estuaries. It grows 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m) tall. It is
harvested in the winter until the young spring shoots begin to
grow. Harvesting the reed encourages the production of tall,
sturdy and straight reeds ideal for thatching. Harvesting the reed
is a demanding job wading through cold water in freezing winter
weather cutting 12 inch (30 cm) bundles and stacking them together
in a group of six known in England as a 'fathom'. In the past
people would ‘patch up’ thatch over the years. But the affluent
new owners of thatched houses can afford to completely overhaul the roof. Sadly this affluent practice, without
thought to the environment, is killing off the now rare thatch moss
(right). |
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The increasingly rare thatch moss is found as dull green
patches on old thatched roofs. The tiny leaves are
spear-shaped, a unique characteristic found on no other
British moss.
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Matthew Oates, Nature Conservation
Adviser at the National Trust says, “It was the rural poor who
lived in thatched cottages and would patch up the roof. Now
thatched cottages are a sign of affluence and wealth and people
can afford to service an entire roof and, bingo, you have
something that looks like it is out of a chocolate box.” The
beautiful National Trust shop (right) at Selworthy, called
Periwinkle, in north Somerset had more than 3,000 plants on
its thatched roof, which represents the largest known population
of thatch moss anywhere in the world. |
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Thankfully thatchers leave
the base coat of thatch on the house adding new fresh reed. This
practice goes back centuries, so much so that in Britain there are
approximately 250 examples of original base coats that survive
from the late medieval period (1350-1600). Left is a picture of the entrance to the central hall
where a fire would burn in the middle of the floor. The smoke would
have floated into the roof space and worked its way through to the
eves. The smoke from the fire protected the thatch in the same way
the thatch is protected in the gassho homes of Ogimachi, Ainokura
and Suganuma in Japan. You can watch a video of the
gassho homes on the UNESCO website to get a sense of what the
fire in the open hall of Alfriston Clergy House might have been
like. Although it's called the clergy house, most of the time
it was rented out as a source of income for the church. The house
became a burden to the church who in 1885 asked for permission to
demolish it, despite a sitting tenant. The last occupant of the
home died in 1888 and eight years later the house became
the first building to be bought by the
National Trust. The unloved and collapsing building
(below) cost £10
in 1896, which was equivalent to a few thousand pounds. |
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