One of the things I really enjoy about blogging, is the way it has made me really look at my day-to-day world. I have come to see that things which I take for granted, scarcely notice any more, may interest my blogging friends.
Like these pretty thatched cottages which line the main road through our nearest market town, Alford.
I know nothing of their age, but I do know they are very old - just check out how small the white door of the end cottage is. Designed and built when people were built differently from today.
I particularly like this one - just check out the brick work on the ground floor (click to enlarge the photograph) where windows and arches have been changed at some time.
This white one is very attractive - again, see how
small the door is. The sign on the front of the house is a sale board, full details can be found
here...
This thatched cottage looks as though it is peering over the hedge.
It was originally a row of shops and cottages, which have now been converted into just one house.
I have tried a few times to get a photograph of the house with the gates open - but no luck.
The white building which you can see next door to it is the rear of the white thatched house in photograph 4 - very cosy!
Alford is a beautiful little market town. I am planning a post on it, so I won't reveal too many details now. It has a working windmill, beautiful old shop frontages, almshouses, a very nice market square, etc and is well known for the regular craft fairs which are held throughout the summer on on most Bank Holiday weekends.
I hope you have enjoyed this tiny taste of what will be on offer.
This is a bonus photograph - it is not in Alford and I have shown it before. It is here simply because it is thatched and I really like it!
This white one is very attractive - again, see how
Such charming places unlike anything anywhere I've ever lived. I agree with you about how much having a blog opens your eyes to what's around you. And I'm so grateful you share yours! As for that thatched cottage that's for sale. So beautiful outside; someone needs to go in and redo it with respect for its origins! It won't be me because I'd have to bend down to get in the door (and then there IS the matter of the 165,000 pounds).
ReplyDeleteHello Mitch, ...add to that the fact that the road is normally very busy during daytimes, plus, it opens straight off the road so people walk right past your windows...no, it's not the cottage for you. I'll find you something much nicer!
DeleteOh, thanks so much, Elaine. I'll go out buy that winning lottery ticket tomorrow morning! It would be very nice to be neighbors!
DeleteThe thatched roofs are charming, but on the practical side I would think that a thatched roof might be prone to catching fire.
ReplyDeleteAnd wouldn't little beasties try to burrow into the thatch and nest there?
Hello Ms Sparrow, I can understand your worries, but apparently thatch is packed really tightly, which excludes air, so they don't catch fire very easily. As for the little beasties...life in the countryside has shown me that they are all around anyway. When our tiled roof was re-done a very large, decomposing rat fell down from the roof space...we now use special electronic units to discourage them.
DeleteHow lovely to see that the art of thatching hasn't gone the way of many old skills. My grandma lived in a thatched cottage. I can remember hearing mice scurrying about at night. I also remember seeing big hooks on the side of thatched buildings ..used to drag off any areas of burning thatch to lessen the risk to the building.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Hello Jane, What lovely memories of your grandma's house - well, maybe not the fire risk and the hooks! Thank goodness the art of thatching is being given the respect it deserves these days.
Deletehello Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI never thought to look at it that way but...yes that's right...I am looking around me more, being more observant and wondering how I can present it on my blog. I also realize I query things more too... so blogs are multi-learning tools.
Love the photos of the thatched cottages got to show my students these on Saturday morning ..... we're talking about housing this has come just at the right time...thanks
Amanda :-)
Hello Amanda, Good, I hope your students enjoy seeing them. I chose those particular ones because normally that road is very busy, cars parked either side and we are so busy watching the traffic that the houses disappear from our perception. I went out early one morning to beat the traffic...I felt it gave me a small insight into how they must have been years ago before the advent of the motor car!
DeleteI love those buildings too. Don't forget to show the manor house. Largest thatched roof in the UK!! The cottage was up for sale for a while I think.
ReplyDeleteHello Dom, No, I haven't forgotten the manor house, it will be done separately - it's far too interesting to cram in with everything else, so don't worry. That part of the road is normally so busy that the cottages rarely get a glance, but they are beautiful.
DeleteTouring with you is priceless, Elaine. And so are all the bits and pieces of our heritages. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello Joanne, It is all self-indulgent. I only ever show places which I either love, or respond to in some way. Everything comes from the heart - so I am pleased you enjoyed it. My thanks go to you.
DeleteBeautiful, beautiful thatch! When i was a kid, we visited relatives in England regularly and I was always intrigued by the thatched roofs. I used to ask my Mum why we didn't have them in Canada. She said something about the climate. I hear they are very expensive to maintain these days! But so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHello Knatolee, Thatch is beautiful! I guess people are prepared to pay more for that kind of beauty. A good thatched roof should last between 30 and 50 years... They do transform a house into something special.
DeleteI read where thatched roofs really helps maintain the internal temperature of the home. I know they're labor-intensive, but boy would I love to have one. Thank you for a peek at some real beauties that just get better with age...just like us, Elaine!
ReplyDeleteHello Susan, They are so visually appealing - and you are right - they are supposed to help keep a house cool in summer and warm in winter, so there is an added bonus. I am so glad you enjoyed seeing them, I have lots more up my sleeve, so I'll post a few now and again.x
DeleteMy people had a beautiful thatched house in Sussex. After a while you forget that it's thatched, and it becomes just 'a roof'. The only problem I ever encountered, was that the upstairs walls were low and sloping; which is usual with thatch.
ReplyDeleteHello Cro, Lucky you! Low and sloping walls give a lot of character and charm to a room, but they do pose practical problems too...I'm happy to indulge my passion for thatch by admiring other people's homes.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post. Our villages are such pretty places....retaining the history and character of a bygone age.
ReplyDeleteI love thatch.....there are several thatched properties near to me.
I know they are very very expensive to replace or repair and sadly, I think many are taking up the option of tiles.
A lovely post and like you I love that last image, so cute!!
Hello Cheryl, The little cottage, the round one, is very close to Somersby, where Tennyson was born and raised. I came across it quite unexpectedly and had to get the camera out. No doubt it features in many a photograph album!
DeleteI love some of the old shops in Alford, the doorways are very wide and I can imagine ladies in wide dresses going through them...think of the ladies of Cranford!
Such lovely photos. I think the house is a very good price - I was imagining what I would do with it as I had my ' viewing'! There is a house with a thatched roof on my journey to the large countryside carboot. It was built within the last 10 years - it's a huge detached place with an equally huge garage - both of which are thatched!
ReplyDeleteHello Scarlet, The house looks beautiful on the outside, but I think it could definitely do with a helping hand from you on the inside. There is a little bowling club around the corner, the well regarded Alford pottery is a couple of streets away, several antique shops dot the market square, there is a working windmill, a few nice pubs...can I tempt you?
DeleteHello Elaine:
ReplyDeleteHow delightful Alford looks. We too love the thatch, fairly common in Hampshire and Wiltshire, where we spent many years but very infrequently found in Herefordshire where we lived for so long. Occasionally we see it here in the Hungarian countryside.
You may, indeed, know of the wonderful thatched church, by Lethaby, at Brockhampton in Herefordshire. An absolute gem.
Hello Jane and Lance, I must thank you for telling me about the thatched church at Brockhampton - you are right, it is a real gem. A truly outstandingly beautiful building. I will enjoy doing some more reading about it - perhaps one day I shall get to visit it.
DeleteFunnily enough, we have a very tiny thatched church just outside Alford, that will be featured in a future post - it combines my passion for thatch with my love of old churches.
thatched houses of Shakespeare's time have always amazed me and I particularly like the eyebrows over the windows.
ReplyDeleteHello Linda, Those eyebrows always make me smile...one day I may even manage to sneak a photograph of the whole cottage!
DeleteThe thatched cottages are lovely. How long will a thatching last? Does the thatch all get removed when it needs to be redone? It must take a lot of skill to make such a tidy job of it especially with the extra ridge part and the little aprons around the chimneys.
ReplyDeleteHello Jenny, A well thatched roof should last anywhere between 30-50 years, if maintained properly. It takes a lot of skill because each roof is different. I think all the finishing flourishes make them very special, lots of thatchers have their own special little signature or way of finishing the ridge designs.
DeleteI just love the cottage for sale! Especially the dining area (the rustic table -- yum) with the large fireplace and what looks like the back yard (table and bridge). There is a company in Virginia that does thatched roofs in the U.S. I've heard it's great for energy efficiency.
ReplyDeleteHello Janet, Providing you are not too tall the cottage would be wonderful - it does have lots of character which just needs to be brought out a bit more. I understand that thatch is great for keeping houses cool in summer and warm in the winter - just what you need.
DeleteThese are wonderful. I grew up in Norfolk so thatched cottages mean 'home' to me. Lovely post. Thanks also for your kind comments on my blog xx
ReplyDeleteHello Mrs Thrifty, Norfolk has some beautiful thatched cottages, lucky you, growing up there. I have great hopes that you get to walk your dream!
DeleteI adore these houses so much! Thatched roofs always have such a storybook appeal to us all. I saw quite a few when I was lucky enough to visit Ireland with my Mom, but have not been to England. Would so love to go!
ReplyDeleteHello Marie, These houses are very cute - I can't help but photograph them. Ireland is a wonderful place, my husband and I have visited there many times, we are particularly fond of the south west coast.
DeleteI have always imagined what it would be like to enter or even live in a village full of thatched roof houses. The experience must be really an eye-opener. The village must have been filled with visitors, who are attracted and interested to see these outstanding houses with such lovely roofs all over the place.
ReplyDeleteLaurelle Baughman
Hello Laurelle, Thatched houses do look wonderful, don't they! I have a folder with lots more thatched house photographs, I'll try to get around to posting them one day soon. I'm so pleased you enjoyed seeing them.
ReplyDelete