Before and after rethatching, Sawbridgworth. to both ends toform yealm.s: these are applied to the roof with tbe revealed ends undressed." The ends are finished by raking and some clipping and the long straw is rodded at the eaves and gables. The second definition, gleaned from many years of practical experience, is from a detailed research paper produced by Peter Brockett, a good friend to many in the regional thatching industry who sadly died last year: "A simple definition of tbe tradition of long straw is a thatch material that can he easily bedded and fixed on to a roof andfinished on the sU1face to an even plane without the need to dress (i.e. lightly beat) into position." With much discussion with East Herts Grants Officer and Conservation Officers, most thatchers now working in the District are using this accepted traditional approach with a certain sense of professional interest and pride. The third problem to arise over the past twenty or thirty years has been the introduction of highly decorated block cut ridges to long-straw roofs. This has been a damaging trend, obscuring thatching's distinctive regional characteristics. Photographic evidence of long-straw thatched roofs taken between the wars show nearly ·au having flush ridges. Such evidence points to Context 56 December 1997 the fact that block cut ridges are a recent introduction on long-straw roofs. Unfortunately, this situation was made worse as simple block cut ridges soon transformed into elaborate, extravagant, overly decorated ridges, detracting from the simple nature of the material and the overall spirit of the building. It was also becoming obvious that the block ridge was technically inferior to the flush ridge, partly due to the extra amount of surface timber dressing and tying required, and partly to the drip line and subsequent deterioration created at the edge of the different thatching planes. This form of ridge seemed not to evolve from a traditional pattern or a natural evolution of good design, but rather from a deliberate commercial approach by some thatchers to win contracts, by offering showy displays of patterns produced in a spurious reference to cottage ornee designs. This disturbing trend has not been followed by a number of discerning thatchers, despite the pressure to follow this fashion among a number of property owners anxious to 'improve' the look of their rustic dwellings. Reversionary thatchers have had the support of the District's Conservation Officers, who have now impleTraditional practice, Furneux Pelham. mented a strategy to reverse this trend by making owners more aware and better informed of the technical, aesthetic and practical justification for the promotion of local long-straw flush ridges. This education process is underpinned in practice by the offer of enhanced grant aid for the retention or reintroduction of flush ridges. At first it was slow progress, particularly as thatchers, not unreasonably, would point out that if owners wanted elaborate ridgework, and were willing to pay extra, then the thatcher had little option but to comply with the clients' requests. Making owners more aware of the options and the subtle visual delight and balance that a flush ridge creates, reduces the pressure on thatchers to perpetuate inappropriate detailing. This is a long-term incremental process. No more than a dozen thatching grant applications at most come up in any one year, but every success provides an advertisement for the flush ridge further enlightening those property owners contemplating rethatching their roofs. Although Conservation Officers and thatchers are pleased with the current quality of thatching, there cannot be complacency. District Council grant aid continues to perform a crucial role as, in several rethatching projects, it was the offer of a relatively small amount of extra funds (£250 usually) that finally swayed the argument in the favour of flush long-straw. Other questions have yet to be debated and settled, such as round bale harvesting, stripped heads etc., as well as stylistic issues. Nevertheless, the spin off has been that the area now has the benefit of a group of skilled thatchers who will continue their craft well into the next century in the best traditions of the industry. Mike Harris, Conservation Officer and Laurie Humphries, Historic Buildings Repairs Advisor, East Hertfordshire District Council. 13
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