Balancing across the width of the roof's surface, a traditional thatcher lays water reed on to the roof of a Suffolk cottage in afternoon sun, on 16th August 1993, in Suffolk, England. He uses a Shearing Hook to lay the straw into the outer weathering coat of the roof's slope. Using techniques developed over thousands of years, good thatch will not require frequent maintenance. In England a ridge will normally last 10–15 years. Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates.
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