The Barn Gets a New Hat by Hilary Chandler

Many of us living in the village have been able to watch the welcome transformation of the old barn in Old Holmes Road as it was given a brand new thatch.
After falling into disrepair and almost reaching dereliction over the last twenty odd years it is very pleasing to have the roof so beautifully restored.
The thatcher was Glen Baker, originally from Rendlesham but now working from Diss. He was a young and very personable man who seemed happy to talk to all of us, always ready to have a chat, answering our questions and letting us play with his adorable little dog. He said he’d been thatching for fifteen years and he did most of the work, which took him some six months from October 2015 through to March this year 2016, on his own apart from last few weeks when he had a co-worker.

​ The reeds came from Hungary and took seven days to get here on a huge lorry. He would have used Norfolk reeds but the quality he was offered was not good enough as they tend to keep the best for themselves in Norfolk!
As a thatcher I imagine he’s used to working in all weathers but he did have some terrific winds and rainy conditions to contend with during his time here and everyone must agree that he’s done the most wonderful job on that old barn.