Dear Evan, there is a lot of thatched houses, churches and mansions in the UK. I used to live in a village in Hampshire where the entire village has thatched roofs! My friend has a cottage in Oxfordshire and he has just had a new thatched roof put on, and they are very expensive. The reed to do them comes mostly from Norfolk, and they have to cut it each year anyway or it would clog the Norfolk Broads up! The costly bit is the labour to do it, as it is a very skillful job and labour intensive. Plus not many people want to do it nowadays, as it is hard work. The people who do this are craftsman, and to see them make animals and birds out of the reed to put on the top of the house\cottages is a joy! I hasten to add Thatching is thousands of years old!
Regards.
Neil.
