Super story of thatched cottage survival

Weston-super-Mare residents and visitors alike will probably know the old thatched cottage on the seafront as a local landmark. What almost none of us realised is what a great survivor it is. A recent restoration job has uncovered some of its history, a tale of how it's made it through fire, flood and weather against all the odds.

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THE oldest building in Weston-super-Mare has recently had a new thatched roof, carefully installed on the extension attached to The Old Thatched Cottage, one of the resort's best-known popular restaurants.

The newly-laid thatch matches that of the attached cottage, which was the only remaining thatched roof in Weston.

The history of the cottage dates back to 1774, when it was built as a holiday home by the beach for Reverend William Leeves, who spent every summer there - a long time before Weston became a popular resort for the masses.

The extension was built in 1855 after a Boxing Day storm in 1852 had blown the roof off.

A century later, a fire in 1954 nearly led to the demolition of the whole building.

Happily, though, the extension was attached to what was left of the original cottage and to what little remained of its original thatched roof.