I am so very happy you are enjoying the “All Things Irish” series. Todays post is All Things Irish Thatched Roof Cottages.
Thatching is a process of covering a roof with dried vegetation such as heather and straw. It is perhaps the oldest form of roofing material.
All Things Irish Thatched Roof Cottages
Thatching in Ireland has gone on for over 9,000 years. Originally it was used by those with less financial means. Thatching today is quite expensive due to its labor intensity and that the skilled craftsmanship required is now dwindling.
Thatched Roof Designs
Many of the thatched roofs have intricate designs. Here is a closeup of a ridgeline that features a thatched dog in addition to a scalloped design. If the legs on the dog were a wee bit shorter, I might think it was Rudi, our dachshund. Screening is used to keep birds from gathering the thatch for nesting material.
The most famous thatched roof cottage is the Anne Hathaway cottage in the village of Shottery, in Warkwickshire, England. This is not the Anne Hathaway of “Princess Diaries” fame, but Shakespeare’s wife. It is a 12 room cottage done in a Tudor style of architecture with visible timber framing. The cottage is also well known for its beautiful gardens.
The largest thatched roof in the world can be found atop the House of the Five Senses at the Efteling theme park in the Netherlands.
Be blessed ye lads and lassies! Slán go fóill ! (Goodbye for now in Irish Gaelic)
Laura
How interesting! It must be very time consuming but makes such a beautiful finished product!
Here in my neighbourhood there a few houses with those thatched roofs, but I have never seen a doglike creature or something like that on the roof. Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!
Loved your post and pics- esp the dog on the roof- Wow.Ive always wanted a thatched roof …wouldn’t it be great to have a pool house or cottage with one- if we could find an artisan in the USA.
I love your articles. You think of the most interesting things to learn about!I think it would be marvelous to have a thatched roof, and they are soo pretty. I cannot imagine the skill involved with those roofs.
Check out thatched roofs of the < HREF="http://flickr.com/groups/372411@N22/" REL="nofollow">Cape Dutch Houses<>.
So interesting and what fairytale type photos. So quaint.
That is so cool! I don’t believe thatching would last in Alabama. To hot and humid.
great pics, thanks for sharing. although I think we should see america first, there are wonderful and different things to see outside our country.
This was fascinating! Thank you for the history lesson and the wonderful pictures! I love it!
I adore all of the photographs. I especially love the scalloped edge at the top of the house. That thatched dog is too sweet and what I wouldn’t give for the garden profuse with flowers.Very interesting and informative.
Thats really cool! And I love all the pictures of the cottages so pretty!
OOPS you forgot the Netherlands, lol. MANY thatched roofs here too. Often on farms but also on cottages etc. LOVE them they look so pretty even when weathered.Often you see half tiles and half thatched. That was done because indeed tiles were for the rich. The front was often tiled and the back thatched. SO people thought rich folks lived there, lol.Interesting to read, isn´t it.Hugs from Marian from the Netherlands, and NO I don´t have a thatched roof duh!! But in my area I see many YAY!
that’s so neat! thanks for sharing. i never really thought about that before!
Very nice pictures and interesting narrative~I didn’t know much of this! Love the scalloped roof with the little dog!!xoxoJanie
How beautiful! I think thatched roofs make a house look so cozy. 🙂
If I could have a dream home, it would definitely be one with a thatched roof…. So romantic!Isabel
Wow!!! Those roofs are AMAZING!! Thank you for the “roof thatching” lesson. Very interesting…but hard to believe it can last 40-50 years! Very cool. I really enjoyed this post!~cheryl
Who doesn’t love a good thatched roof cottage!!!!!
I want a cottage! They are soooo cute! Can you imagine how dried out they’ld get here in Phx? LOL!~Liz
Oh what a wonderful post! I love these. One of my favorite films “The Secret of Roan Inish” is a wonderful story and one part of it shows two children re-thatching a cottage that has been neglected. But the rest of the story is magical…!
Just magnificent! I’ve heard that the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs” came when the pets slept on the roof (or under the roof?) and when it rained very hard, they fell. Of course, I may have just dreamt that up….
The scalloped designs are so beautiful! How much care, pride, and skill go into these roofs!
so beautiful! so different than America, no? i wish we had charm like this here!
How positively charming and interesting! I would love to live in a cottage such as one of those.
Ahhh, I have missed reading your blog…I was out of town for a couple weeks. I love these pics, they remind me of the snow white and seven dwarfs cottage! The one with the curves is crazy!
I always love to see thatched roof cottages, they are so wonderful.One used to always see them on the lid of chocolate boxes.Have a great day.
Love thatched cottages. It must be a little dusty on the inside of the cottage though. Mimi
I love these thatched room cottages. My husband and I hiked the cotswalds and saw many of them. I especially liked the animal characters seated at the peaks.
I just saw you on the Cote De Tex. Blog list, and noticed the Thatched Roof title of this post. I love thatched roofs, so I came over to check it out. After enjoying this post, I scrolled through some others, and your blog is lovely. Thank you for the Irish tour. laurie
I LOVE that! I don’t think I had ever heard of or seen this before. Well, I didn’t realize what it was.
Give me a thatched-roof cottage over anything grander any day. :o)
If I could recreate any style of home right here where I live hands down it would be a thatched roof cottage complete with the wild lush cottage garden! Thanks for sharing all the interesting tidbits!
Cute cottages. They’re so inviting. Ireland would be a nice place to visit. Stopping by from SITS…
I love your photos of your cottages! I absolutely adore cottages, and your post was fantastic!Stop by for a chat!DebbykayRose Cottage Gardens and Farm
I’ve always really like the quaint thatched roof cottages. It’s amazing that it can last that long!
Great photos. Really makes me wish I could go on a trip.
I adore that first photo- sometimes I wish I was born in a different era-when thatched roofs like that were the normBut then I remember I like hot running water-Thanks for the lovely pictures.
I love Irish cottages. My dream trip of a lifetime would be to go to Ireland and stay at one of those bed and breakfasts cottages with the thatched roof. Beautiful pictures, by the way.
So have fallen for those cottages. Wonder if they are cold inside? It was amazing that they could cut patterns in the roof design. Thank you for sharing these photos & the history.
Lovely photos, so evocative of the beautiful English countryside. Love it. What a fascinating glimpse of a bygone art.Cass
What a wonderful post! I loved all the photos and reading about the history of the roofs. I had seen some when I was in England but didn’t know anything about them, really. Thanks for joining my blog party today and teaching us something new! 🙂
These roofs are amazing. Flammability…, that was my first concern, roofs made from kindling wood if you will. But then again most building materials are more or less flammable.
This gives me fond memories of a trip to Ireland that I took many years ago.
These cottages are absolutely adorable.Thank you also for the history lesson!xoBrooke
Thatched roofs are so charming. And that little thatched dog on the roof with the scallops is fantastic!! Such a creative and fun touch on an already wonderful house 🙂Kelly @ DesignTies
Thank you for visiting & commenting on my blog today! I actually visited Anne Hathaway's cottage myself many years ago (when I was studying in England for a semester).You put so much research as well as beautiful images into your posts! And a special thanks for the extra tips for homeschoolers 🙂
Hi Laura! I am sooo enjoying going back over all your Irish posts, because we just got back from England and Ireland a few days ago!! We went to visit our daughter who is studying at Royal Holloway near London. So we took a quick trip to Ireland for 2 days. And it was wonderful!!
We sure came back to some gorgeous Phoenix weather! I am dreading the heat…
Love your blog and thanks for sharing your story… that you posted on Easter. Powerful stuff. All things are possible through Christ!