BCD 2018

78 C AT H E D R A L COMMU N C I AT I O N S C E L E B R AT I N G T W E N T Y F I V E Y E A R S O F T H E B U I L D I N G CO N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C TO R Y 1 9 9 3 – 2 0 1 8 it is regularly maintained. Bruce Walker, Christopher McGregor and Gregor Stark (see Further Information) note that a thatched cottage needs continual low-level heating in order to stave off decay; part of the maintenance of the Blackhouse at Arnol, one of the few thatched properties maintained by HES, involves the daily lighting and tending of a fire. This rapid disappearance following abandonment is evident on the island of Jura, where until relatively recently a village of thatched buildings was recorded at Keils; in the 2015 survey not a single one remained with a thatched roof. Most were roofless ruins. Similar losses are noted on Tiree, Berneray and South Uist, where partially thatched roofs in various states of advanced decay were recorded, despite being relatively recently known to be in use. SOURCING THATCHING MATERIALS Thatch tends to be locally distinctive, with many variations of materials and vernacular traditions found even in relatively small geographical areas. Being historically sourced from whatever grows nearby, it is also one of the most harmonious roofing materials, blending naturally into the surrounding landscape from which it is taken. Materials found for thatching roofs in Scotland were once extremely diverse, including oat and barley straw, rye, reed, heather, bracken, broom, rushes, marram grass (grown on sand dunes) and eel grass (a type of marine grass). Over 20 different types of thatching materials are identified in Historic Scotland’s Technical Advice Note 4 (see Further Information). However, the recent survey shows that very few of these more unusual types now remain. Allowing for some level of misidentification, the majority of thatched buildings remaining are roofed with water-reed or wheat straw, with marram grass still predominant in the Western Isles. Only 26 examples of heather- thatched roofs were identified in the survey, with rarer types such as bracken (five), rush (ten) and less common types of cereal straw reduced to a handful of identified examples. Reed and cereal straw together account for more than half of surviving buildings, followed by marram grass (almost a quarter of buildings surveyed). Changes in land-use, farming developments including harvesting and threshing methods, manipulation of crop types to produce higher yields, loss of labourers, depopulation and two world wars have all had an impact on the rural economy and the many trades and traditions which it once supported. Nevertheless, it is unclear why some common materials are no longer readily sourced, with reports tending to be anecdotal and dependent on local relationships. On the Western Isles, where a significant number of thatched buildings do survive, changes in land ownership and access have led to a decline in the availability of marram grass traditionally used for thatch. Marram grass is an ideal thatching material for the Hebrides as it can withstand strong winds and scouring from wind-blown sand. Imported materials are not naturally adapted to the climate and tend to perform less well. Thus the local material tends not only to be the most aesthetically pleasing but also the most durable. Many areas of wetland that produce reed thatch, traditionally found in Tayside and Fife, are now protected as wildlife habitats or designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), which can mean that harvesting the reed for thatch is not always possible. The reed beds at Errol are said to have once produced 40,000 bundles a year for thatching, but to the author’s knowledge there is currently only one supplier of local reed in the area. It is not uncommon for reed to be imported from Eastern Europe and used sometimes indiscriminately, even in areas where there is no tradition of reed thatching. However, both the ecology and the thatching trade seem to benefit from managing the wetlands; therefore, sustainable harvesting of the reed beds may be advantageous in several respects. Local authorities sometimes report requests for re-thatching using non-local materials, citing lack of availability of materials as an issue. Where local availability of specific thatch types has changed, however, perhaps the immediate focus should be on finding suitable alternative local materials rather than sourcing a historically ‘correct’ material from further afield. It seems irrational to source reed or wheat straw from abroad to satisfy a need for visual continuity, when suitable local materials (albeit different) Originally occupied by crofters, the village of Garenin on the Isle of Lewis was abandoned in the early 1970s but has now been restored as holiday cottages and a museum. The roofs are now all straw-thatched with continuous ridges and weighted netting.