Use of thatch goes back over 2500 years to the Bronze Age. Although wheat straws are the most widely used material, heather was used on the Dorset heathlands and water reed was used near Abbotsbury and Radipole Lake, Weymouth. The thatch is tied in bundles, laid on the roof beams and pegged in place with hazel rods. Upper layers are then added and the thickness can vary between 1 and 4 feet. Finally a reinforcing layer is added along the ridge line. A Dorset thatched roof typically has little or no ornamentation, apart from a cross hatched decorative area along the ridge. A newly thatched roof starts off a golden colour and within a year weathers to a light brown colour. The thatch can last 20 to 25 years, less if the weather is wetter than normal. The ridge can need repair after 10 years. Strong winds rip at the straw as it crosses the ridge of the roof and any loose bits are soon identified as nesting material by crows.

The cottages in Lulworth date back to the 1600s. Most were built by the Weld Estate for the farm workers. A small cottage would typically house a large family. In centuries passed, Lulworth was considered shabby and the thatched cottages were associated with the poor. Thatched cottages are now highly sort after. They capture an idealised view of rural England, a perfect place in which to retire, or holiday in. An escape from city life and the 21st Century.

Tewkesbury Cottage	The Nest
Birds Eye View	The Castle Inn
Amy's Cottage	The Nest