Comber Wheat Reed

All the evidence from documents, illustrations and from surviving old thatch shows that Britain has a strong tradition of combed straw thatching, going back at least 700 years, using a method that was probably unique to Britain. This type of thatching is known today as 'combed wheat reed' or 'wheat reed'.

It uses straw from local wheat crops (although in the past rye was used too) to produce a roof covering.The crop is specially processed, being combed clean of short straws and leaves, with all the stems lying in the same direction and provided to the thatcher in bundles.

The appearance of a freshly-thatched combed wheat reed roof is neat, even and well-packed, although the packing should not be too tight. The butt ends of the straws form the face of the thatch and show as tiny circles.

Using good quality material and fitted by a good thatcher, is still an excellent Devon thatch.The raw material is mostly grown in the South by farmers and thatchers who, today, specialise in producing straw for thatched roofs. This is a skilled process using tall varieties of wheat, special growing methods and special machinery for harvesting, threshing and combing to ensure the best quality roofing material.

Combed wheat reed, grown in Britain is a sustainable building material. It is a renewable resource. It does not have to be transported over long distances. It provides an energy-efficient roof covering. However, there are good and bad seasons for the production of thatching straw, as there are for any grown crop, and there are seasons when it is scarce.