A free library of 110 documents on thatching, water reed, natural building, heritage and traditional crafts: guides, surveys, research and case studies. Most open as PDFs, each credited to its source, and many have a topic in the forum where you can discuss it.
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Course notes and handouts from the Boglands courses. Learn online with Boglands Academy, or join a hands-on thatching workshop at Boglands: see thatch.boglands.ie and book a course. The first course booklet, the Bee Natural Course Companion, is under Heritage Crafts.
Traditional crafts that sit alongside thatching: straw skeps and thatched beehives, traditional beekeeping, and the forge.
Mike Davies's companion booklet for the Bee Natural beekeeping course at Boglands.
A Victorian British beekeeping manual covering both straw skeps and the newer frame hives.
L. L. Langstroth's classic beekeeper's manual, which introduced the movable-frame hive.
The history and folklore of bees and beekeeping in England, from the skep onwards.
Articles by working smiths on forges, tools and techniques, collected from The Blacksmith and Wheelwright.
A step-by-step textbook on forging, welding, tool-making and tempering.
Part 1 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 2 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 3 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 4 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 5 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 6 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 7 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 8 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 9 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
Part 10 of The Thatcher's Craft (scanned).
A guide to the repair of thatched roofs.
Research note on planning policy and appeals about changing thatching materials in England.
Guidance on wiring systems, terminations and electrical equipment in thatched buildings.
Guidance note edited by David Pickles, one of a series of thirteen on thermal upgrading.
An article on fire protection and thatching by Charles H. Butcher.
The National Society of Master Thatchers on managing expectations of a thatched roof's life.
Guidance note on improving the energy efficiency of thatched roofs in historic buildings.
A short history and overview of thatch as a roofing material.
A checklist for recording the condition of a thatched roof: fixings, slippage, ridge and more.
Thatch guide published by the CSIR Division of Building and Construction Technology, Pretoria (1998).
A first-grade art lesson plan based on 'Thatched Cottages at the Roadside' by Maurice de Vlaminck.
Sheet music for the song 'The Cottage Thatched with Straw'.
Dorset Building Control guidelines for new thatched properties and extensions.
A guide to arranging the correct insurance for a thatched property.
A printable Irish house blessing (courtesy of Irish American Mom).
Report on County Clare's thatched structures presented to the Heritage Council and Clare County Council.
Report of findings on Waterford's thatched houses, compiled by John Cronin & Associates.
Laois County Council and the Heritage Council survey, an action of the Laois Heritage Plan 2007–2011.
Thatched roofs in Ireland and the versatility of Phragmites australis (common reed, water reed). Free download.
Report and inventory survey of Kildare's thatched houses, commissioned by Kildare County Council.
'Díonta Ceann Tuí na Gaillimhe' by Fidelma Mullane.
A survey of Scotland's thatched buildings, grant funded by SPAB and Historic Environment Scotland.
Leaflet on the character and methods of thatching in the area, to help owners of thatched buildings.
A council draft report on thatching (scanned).
The council's position on preserving local thatch and thatching techniques.
English Heritage guidance on sustaining the traditions of thatch.
South Northamptonshire Council Conservation Advice Note No. 9.
Leaflet published by Devon County Council, March 2003.
Booklet on Hampshire's thatching traditions, changes to thatched roofs and listed building control.
A 24-page booklet on thatch in South Somerset (scanned).
An INFORM guide to the importance, materials and care of thatched roofs in Scotland.
Supplementary planning guidance on thatched roofs from South Northamptonshire Council.
PhD thesis, University of Greenwich, April 2002.
A 45–60 minute walk past thatched timber cottages, starting from Kingsbury Library.
A guide for owners, thatching contractors and building contractors.
A Dutch thatcher's brochure on craft, experience and quality.
Text by K. Long, drawings by R. Oelofsen; National Building Research Institute, Pretoria.
An introduction by Adam Manvell, version 1.0.
Application procedure for a fire-retardant treatment for thatched roofs (South Africa).
Brochure for a thatched-roof eco resort in Pondicherry, India.
A master's degree project in conservation by Serusa Katabami (2017).
Paper from the 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference, Tokyo.
Trade catalogue for 'thatch-style' shingle roofs, with photos of American houses imitating English thatch.
Edited by Iiro Ikonen and Eija Hagelberg.
A review of historical developments, utilisation and prospects.
Tallinn University of Technology paper on reed as a boiler fuel.
Estimating the market potential of reed of regional origin (Becker, Wichmann and Beckmann).
Edited by Helga Stenman, Turku University of Applied Sciences.
Tallinn University of Technology paper (Kask, Paist and Kask, 2007).
IOP Conference Series paper, Abass et al. (2020).
A step-by-step guide by Brice Cochran.
Guidance on recognising, repairing and maintaining earth and clay construction.
Span tables for visually graded and machine-rated lumber.
An INFORM guide to slaking quicklime, lime putty and traditional plastering.
Planning and safety guide for decks and porches.
Size selection and allowable load tables for Southern Pine lumber and glulam.
Size selection tables for gravity loads.
Strength, treatability and beauty of Southern Pine.
FAO textbook on rural building, including materials like earth, bamboo and thatch. Hosted by FAO.
NPS brief on repointing with suitable (often lime) mortars.
NPS brief on earth (adobe) buildings and their repair.
Chapter 9 of the Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities (Ireland).
Guidance circular BHIS22/1 (November 2021): background, eligibility and application process.
An INFORM advice guide on condensation in traditional buildings.
Sustaining the historic environment; includes reroofing Pitchford Church.
A 132-page report (scanned).
Lists of craft disciplines recognised by the Crafts Councils of Great Britain and Ireland.
A planning design guide on roofs and chimneys.
A 74-page guide to energy efficiency in Ireland's traditional buildings.
Heritage Outlook magazine, summer 2006 issue.
Guidance on insurance and reinstatement costs for historic buildings.
A guide to good practice for traditional farmsteads in England.
Local Government Association guide to local historic environment services.
Volume 4 of the Mayo County Development Plan 2014–2020.
The archaeological component of Scotland's rivers, lochs and bogs.
Current provision, challenges and opportunities.
Featuring the Mourne Homesteads Experience, published by the Mourne Heritage Trust.
Traditional craftsmanship as intangible cultural heritage and an economic factor (Sandgruber, Bichler-Ripfel, Walcher).
Information on corrugated iron buildings, corrosion and care.
Regional statement on farmsteads and farm buildings.
Brochure: Ireland, a country of rich heritage and culture.
Irish Advice Series guide to inspecting and maintaining older buildings: roofs, walls, windows and damp.
Photographs by James Parkinson with notes by E. A. Ould.
Photographs and drawings of Cotswold vernacular buildings.
The Studio's illustrated survey of English country cottages. Hosted by the Internet Archive.
NPS brief on wooden shingle roofs, their care and replacement.
US National Park Service technical brief on historic roofing materials and repair.
Irish Advice Series guide to caring for and repairing historic roofs, including thatch, slate and lead.
Irish guide to sources for researching vernacular buildings. Hosted by Buildings of Ireland.
Rural English cottages and village life, illustrated by A. R. Quinton.
Delivering public engagement, skills and training as part of conservation works.
Historic Environment Scotland case study: thatch and clay repairs to a traditional cottage.
Historic Environment Scotland case study: repairs and upgrades to a Highland cottage.