The final straw for thatched cottages? Treasured feature of chocolate-box villages is under threat as war in Ukraine, outdated machinery and wet weather pushes up costs By Liz Hull Published: 11:32 EDT, 21 July 2024 | Updated: 11:35 EDT, 21 July 2024 e-mail 2 View comments They are the architectural epitome of Englishness. But the thatched cottage, a treasured feature of chocolate-box villages, is under threat, conservationists have warned. A perfect storm of soggy summers, outdated machinery, the war in Ukraine and Brexit has led to soaring straw production costs.
These factors, on top of a shortage of skilled thatchers, is pushing up the price of repairing thatched roofs. And with the price to rethatch a small cottage starting at £30,000, there are fears that occupants will have no choice but to replace them with more durable slates or tiles. There are around 60,000 thatched homes in Britain, many of which are listed and require their roofs rethatched every 15 to 30 years.
But there a now only about 800 thatchers' and 24 farmers specialised in producing thatching straw left in the UK. Conservationists have warned that the thatched cottage is under threat There are now only 800 thatchers' and 24 farmers specialised in producing thatching straw left in the UK The thatched cottage has become a staple of chocolate-box villages The cost of straw imported from abroad has also been pushed up by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and attacks on cargo ships by Houti rebels in the Red Sea.