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Thatching: The Unchanging Craft

1964 , Cambridgeshire (County)

Cat no. 360

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The craft of thatching.

The film opens with shots of thatched cottages at Lode and then moves to Wicken Fen. Here reed and sedge grass are cut by hand and then by machine to contrast traditional and modern methods. The reed is tied into bundles and stacked. The sedge grass is transported away by water. The next sequence shows the thatching of a house in Lode. The various tools of the thatcher are shown. The reeds are carried up and loosely positioned on the roof. Sways, strips of ash or willow are used to hold the bundles in place. The father and son team of thatchers are seen making these sways. The sedge is carried up to be used on the ridge of the roof. The sways are put in to form a pattern. Every thatcher has his own pattern which is a form of signature. On completion the roof is swept and tidied. The house with its new roof. There are shots of the wire netting put over to keep out the birds. This is contrasted with the roof of an eighteenth century cottage (dated 1736) showing damage caused by the birds. Shots of other thatched buildings including a barn, a church and a pub.

Keywords

Thatching

Other Places

Lode; Madingley; Wicken Fen

Manifestations

Thatching: The Unchanging Craft

  • Sequence Details:
    • Group 1:
      • Part Number: 7
      • Parts Unit: Series

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