Thatching in Kent & Surrey
This area is more famous for it’s tiles than any thatching. This is certainly true in Surrey, where little thatch remains but Kent has as much as Cornwall. Even the London suburbs, that cover parts of both historic counties, still have a scattering of thatched properties.
The Southern tradition of thatching holds sway, over most of the area. However, parts of Kent seem to have had more than a little influence from the Eastern thatching style. Some roofs hereabouts, were and are still are more angular; similar to thatch across the Thames estuary, in Essex. Many roofs have thatching spars around the eaves. Known in Surrey as sparrows; they recall the former dominance of long straw thatching, which is less common today, but not unknown by any means…
Early nineteenth century royal thatch, in Surrey and Kent… The Queen’s Cottage at Kew, on the right, was a royal holding until 1898. This is still extant and its history is found at the bottom of this page… The left engraving shows Eltham Palace, in a ruinous state, with a thatched barn, in the middle distance. The barn is long gone and the property rebuilt…
The Georgian agricultural reporters noted the local trade two centuries ago. Thatchers in Kent were paid three shillings a square, in 1796 and earned 20 pence a day in 1813. Mr Stevenson covered Surrey and mentions the thatching of corn stacks, being carried out by roaming professional thatchers. Stating ‘There are regular thatchers who go about the country in time of harvest, for that purpose.’
As can be seen, in the History section, the Georgian reporter was scathing, about the standard of the craft in Kent; with half rotten stubble being used. This useful crop, when carefully harvested, has a long history here. In 1283 the worthies, in Dover Castle, paid 40 pence; for five hundred sheaves of stubble. With this, ‘the well house, wash house and the home of Simon the clerk’, were thatched. Perhaps it was Simon, who noted the purchase, his successors wrote of roskebard and gloit being used; local names for rushes and oat straw…
In 1889 the County of London was created, taking over the administration of Deptford, Greenwich, Woolwich, Lee, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke and Lewisham, in Kent and Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth, in Surrey. This later county also lost Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton and Richmond upon Thames; when Greater London was created in 1965. Kent losing Bromley and Bexley.
The times before the London Boroughs….
The next eleven images show thatched buildings, both extant and extinct; that were built long before the areas mentioned above were swallowed up by the metropolis… So, roughly working in a clockwise direction.
Camberwell Grove, Surrey… The message on this old postcard, dated 1907 says… ‘ address, 98 Camberwell Grove, next door but one to the thatched cottage’. The thatched building seems around a century older than the postcard, being built in the ‘Cottage Orne ‘ style.
On the border… The 1797 print opposite was from the ‘Antiquities of London and it’s Environs’ : by John Thomas Smith. It depicts a scene ‘Near Deptford’, A large barn being the main subject, partly tiled and set in a very rural landscape. Which no doubt lay close to the historic border of Kent and Surrey…
Kent thatch, around 1900, extinct and extant… The above cottage at Wickham Lane, Plumstead, has long gone. But the right hand ‘Cottage Orne’ thatch, at Bexleyheath is still with us.
More ‘Cottage Orne’ thatch… This building lies at Cudham, once in Kent but now, just inside the London Borough of Bromley. As seen, much of the remaining thatch, in the London Boroughs, also dates from this period. Often remnants of defunct rural estates. As the Cudham lodge appears to be.
‘Thatched Cottage near Sidcup’… Being the title to both the old postcards above. What must be the earlier image, on the left, shows a worn thatch of long straw, dating to no later than c1900. The right hand card was posted in 1907; it depicts a newish roof of water reed; with a cut block ridge. This Kent cottage has disappeared, with much but not all, of the surrounding rural scene. The cottage lay on Perry Street, now mostly the busy A222…
‘Thatched Cottage at Hayes Common 18th May 1901’… Is written on the rear of this old photo. This small cottage looks to be in a poor state; with the long straw roof on its last legs… The property may well have started life as a squatters cottage; on the Kentish Common at Hayes. 160 acres or so have survived, in the modern London Borough of Bromley; not so the cottage.
Surrey Thatch… The above cottage really is a rarity. Lying within modern London, at Kenley and also having a long straw, multilayered thatch.
The thatch opposite is situated in the same area, being the former gate lodge to Coombe Park. Now a valued open space. As with most surviving lodges this one dates to the early nineteenth century. Now coated in water reed, beneath a very ornate ridge. Photo © & thanks David Anstiss under Creative Commons
Below are two extinct Surrey thatches. Left, at Norwood Park and at Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common, on the right. Both thatched in Edwardian long straw…
Putney… The images above and opposite, show what must have been a gatehouse, for a long lost estate; now on a busy road junction but still near some open heath and wood. The old image dates to around 1905, with the new showing the building having had a thatched extension in the last century. The cottage dates to a time when the parish lay in the Hundred of Brixton in the county of Surrey; being incorporated into the old County of London, in 1889.
Glimpses… More royal thatch, this time in Richmond Park. ‘Thatched House Lodge’ is a private residence, seen from a distance. Only parts of this seventeenth century property are thatched, the older image shows some plain long straw work, in around 1930. The newer thatch consists of water reeds, under an ornate ridge. Less than three miles to the north east lies another royal thatch, at Kew, which is very accessible; it’s thatching history is detailed below. Left photo; copyright & thanks, Les Colman; supplied under Creative Commons.
Out of place..? Until 1995 the opposite location held the the Barns Elms reservoirs, in Surrey; now transformed into the 120 acre London Wetland Centre. A haven for both people and wildlife, a few miles from central London. The thatch sits well in this situation… Photo; copyright & thanks to ‘Marathon’ under Creative Commons.
1880’s Thatcher’s bills, from Kent… These come from the Park Estate, Eastry. The price of coating, ‘per square’, has only risen from three shillings to four, since the Agricultural Report of 1796… As was normal practice, the employer supplied the thatching material. But a 1897 bill from Mr Jordan, shows him supplying three hundredweight of straw, at two shillings and sixpence per hundredweight. And the ‘price per square’ (i.e. 100 sq. feet) had eased up to around five shillings…
Large Kentish thatch.. The upper house at Smarden, is a lovely example of a late medieval, Wealden Hall House. Quite a few survive hereabouts but few retain their thatch roofs. The lower house at Borden is just half the age at three or so centuries old. And shows a sparred long straw finish to it’s eaves.
Kent tiles and thatch… Along with an Edwardian ornate ridge, at Wingham. This extant cottage dates to at least the Tudor period, having the upper storey converted, in 1667; as the date, above the windows, still shows.
Kentish Eastern style… An angular roof, atop a splendid timbered house, at Lynstead, on the left. The old image on the right at Beltinge, shows thatch similar to that found in East Anglia; also being quite angular. …
Edwardian long straw… The old postcard opposite, shows ‘The Street at Petham’; dipicting a long straw thatch on the left, which is nearly complete. The thatcher’s long pole ladder is much in evidence, but the Kentish thatcher is missing… It seems only the fixings, around the eaves of the roof are required, to complete this long forgotten job.
The modern roof, below, at Goodnestone has been thatched in traditional manner. With a ridge, plainly finished with several lines of liggers. And appears to be coated in long straw…
Surrey now has less than one sixth of Kent’s thatch but some attractive examples remain… This timber framed cottage is infilled, with good Surrey brick, no doubt from the same source that created so many tiles; that replaced so much thatch. But not this long straw example, at Bisley.
Old Surrey thatch… At Newchapel, showing a rather worn long straw thatch. Along with two wooden pole ladders, slung under the eaves.
Older Surrey Thatch… The prints opposite and above are two more from the ‘Antiquities of London and it’s Environs’ ; both dating to the 1790’s, showing thatch in the north east of Surrey. Above the scene is tilted ‘Near Egham…’; depicting a small well thatched home, with a thatched pergola type structure at the rear.
Opposite is a thatch ‘At Cobham Surrey’. This seems a somewhat temporary structure, with roof timbers poking through the ridge, at either end…The building here may well be one associated with perhaps charcoal burning. The large pointed stacks at the rear don’t seem to be hay or corn ricks… Even now the area has several woods and commons.
Extinct and extant Surrey thatch… Above at ‘Lingfield Lane, Redhill’. this grainy image, from around 1900 shows a long straw thatch, with rolled gable ends. Similar to work in Sussex. The right hand cottage at Chipstead belies it’s age; restored, but dating from the Tudor period.
Lingfield… The Edwardian image above depicts a multi-layered roof of long straw, on part of the cottage. Now, with the weatherboarding removed, a coat of water reed is in place, as shown below…. This part of the building at least is older than it looks; starting life as a barn, in the 1400’s…
Idyllic Surrey thatch… Near Banstead.
Finally, some royal thatch, just eight and half miles from Charing Cross…
Hidden away in the south west corner of Kew Gardens, ‘Queen Charlotte’s Cottage’, is an example of the then fashionable, Cottage Orné style, being built by George the Third’s consort, in the 1770’s. This Thames-side property was used by the royal family in the late 18th century. Usually for rest and refreshment, during walks in the extensive surrounding gardens. It was last used by the royals in 1818…
Queen Victoria rarely visited the cottage and in 1898 she opened the cottage and its grounds to the public; in commemoration of sixty years on the throne.
As with other well known thatched buildings, a pictorial record exists of the property and the roofs covering it…
The print, shown at the top of this page, dates from 1820. It shows the cottage roof in a poor state, with probably it’s original thatch in place. This looks like a coat of water reed, possibly from Norfolk. So it seems the royal paymasters, did not keep to local long straw thatching… The image above, from around 1870, depicts a similar scene; a water reed roof, with a fashionable ‘saw tooth’ ornamental ridge. This was almost certainly carried out by thatchers from East Anglia…
Repairs… It seems that Queen Victoria left the thatched roof here in a poorly state, when she handed over the property in 1898. The left hand photo, shows extensive repairs, to the main roof, at around this time; along with a new ‘saw tooth ridge’. These repairs had been extended over the lower roofs, by around 1900, as the right hand image shows. The material used seems to be water reed, not the best type of thatch to use when repairing…
Local long straw… The above image dating to before 1909, shows the cottage, with a neat coat of long straw thatching, done in a local plain style. This seems to be the only time this roof has been coated thus…
Return to water reed… After the excursion into long straw thatch, the custodians of the cottage, evidently decided that a return to water reed thatching was desirable… The two photos above date from 1929. The water reed coatwork is in good condition, but the fairly plain, cut block ridge is showing signs of wear… Suggesting that the roof was thatched in around 1920.
The right image shows the 1950 rethatch, also in water reed, with a similar ridge.
Into another century… The twenty first century has the cottage, as ever, coated in water reed, with a return to the ‘saw tooth’ ridging of the nineteeth…
This cottage lies in an delightfully quiet spot, next to the Thames. Queen Victoria ordained it remain as she knew it; and her wishes have been carried out…