Author Description

This volume continues the history of thatching in England from Volume 5, Thatching in England 1790-1940, by taking the story up to the 1990s. It is based on research completed in 1994 although references to some recent events have been incorporated. From 1940 to 1994 English house thatching developed into a recognised industry in a period of radical change in cereal and water reed production, rural property ownership and increasing bureaucracy. This book charts the influence of government organisations on the promotion of thatch, the supply of materials, the development of trade organisations, the training of thatchers and the application of listed building controls to thatched buildings. This volume is of great use to thatchers, historians of modern agriculture and the building industry, and to all those involved in architectural conservation, especially those with responsibility for the maintenance and protection of thatched buildings.