Roofing

Thatch is one of the oldest and most wide-spread roofing materials. In England the best thatch was made from reed, which could last 30 to 40 years, but straw, lasting 10-15 years, could be used if the stems were long enough and was readily available after each harvest.

Thatching required a steep pitch. It could mould easily around awkward corners, but it could not work with guttering so a double roof could not be thatched:

Roof plan

thatch

Thatching could be highly decorative, but plain and serviceable thatch was more common.

fancy thatch

Thatching was flammable. An alternative natural roofing material was stone, commonly used where it was the natural building material.

Limestone and sandstone could be split, to make roofing slabs.

roof slabs

To reduce the weight, slabs were usually graded, with the largest and heaviest at the bottom.

The best, though not necessarily the prettiest, stone for roofing was slate, which could be split into very thin sheets. When transport improved, it was widely exported round the world from slate areas such as North Wales, but in earlier times it was used only in slate areas.

Clay tiles were produced in brick-making areas. They were longer lasting than thatch and were not flammable, and by the 16th Century they were becoming cheap enough to offer an alternative. When thatched roofs needed renewing, they were frequently replaced with tiles.

Most tiles were flat, like wooden shingles, but ridged pantiles, dating in design from Roman times, were also exported from the Low Countries, and later produced in eastern England where they were most commonly used.