Thatching is an ancient, living tradition. To be a thatcher is to belong to a craft almost endless in its reach – at once one of the oldest ways of giving shelter, a way of working close to the land, and a deep immersion in the rhythms of a place on the most local scale possible.
But the craft isn’t frozen in time. Thatched roofs exist in a constant state of repair, renewal and alteration, and the trade is poised at a moment of profound change both in the way people thatch, and the plants they use to thatch with. On The Roof tells Tom Allan’s story of leaving his office job in the city to find fulfilment among the Devon roofs, as well as the stories of six other people who share his trade.
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