Up on the roof

Thatched roofs have been a part of the British countryside for 5,000 years. Tom Allan is one of a dwindling number of craftspeople making sure this ancient tradition remains a vital part of our rural life.

- 

Standing on the beaten-earth floor of a draughty Devon barn, I was about to make my first attempt at thatching. The master thatcher, who would be my teacher, boss and mentor for the next five years, showed me how to make up 'windy bundles' - small, correctly tensioned sheaves of wheat that are ready to be thatched on to the roof.

First, I had to yealm the straw - using my fingertips to align the stems as I rake them towards me - before spotting it, allowing the wheat to fall in a rhythmic motion from the crook of your arm to the floor. The wheat made a satisfying tap, the thatcher nodded his approval and my journey into one of humanity's oldest crafts had begun.

FROM TYPING TO THATCHING

It was a journey that came about entirely by chance. I read English at university, and left an office job with a book publisher in London with little idea what I wanted to do next, except that it had to be something in the countryside. This didn't come out of the blue. I had grown up on a smallholding in the Scottish Borders, so was used to physical work and getting my hands dirty- things I had missed during my five years at a publishing desk.

Moving back to the Borders, I tried various things - hedge planting, woodland management - before moving to Devon to train as a National Trust countryside ranger. Towards the end of my traineeship, I was offered the chance of a trial day with a local thatching firm. Twelve years later, I haven't looked back.