Master Thatcher

The Village History Meeting tonight was given by a resident, Graham Cook who has lived in New Town ( an old rotten borough) for over 50 years . He was a thatcher for 30 years and subsequently has researched the history of thatching initially for a book which turned into a popular website worldwide . Bill Gates has referred to it and Kate Humble references it in her Coastal Britain series ! He was a fascinating speaker and I was surprised to learn that most of the materials are now brought in from China . Particularly interesting were the tools of the trade as seen in the picture - lots of names . The straw you can see here is over 200 years old ! In Devon there are thatched roofs seen from inside the house where the straw dates back to 1300 !! https://thatchinginfo.com/
I managed to do some gardening today - who knew that winter flowering jasmine was such a thug of a plant - it puts its runners out far too generously!