Molton Monthly August 2023

A thatcher’s life for me pages 18 - 21

by Steve Tickner

Thatching and the West Country seem to go hand in hand. With cosy thatched cottages in just about every image of Devon it seems to be a thriving industry. And an industry it is. From the thatch that is grown across our county, to the workforce needed to bring in the crop.

At the end of each season you can see the stooks standing proud in the fields, drying in the last of the summer warmth before being stored ready for threshing and combing. The threshing machine itself is more than eighty five years old, still belt driven by an old Massey Ferguson stood by the side of it as it would have done years ago.

Bailing demonstration at South Molton Vintage Rally

In an industry so prolific here in Devon it is hard to imagine that there is in fact a shortage of people willing to learn this amazing trade. The hours can be long, the work hard, and in all weathers.

A chance meeting with master thatcher Shaun Clark, came to young Harry Tickner as he worked at a local garden centre in the summer break from university, then aged just 20. It changed his life and career path. “I’ll give you six months to see if it is for you!” said Shaun.

Those six months were the coldest, wettest working conditions Harry (pictured above right) had ever experienced, but he took to the job like a duck to water. That was four and a half years ago. Harry never returned to university, and is now a full time apprentice to Shaun Clark and Keith Otto, both renowned Master Thatchers.

All smiles as Harry Tickner keeps the ancient art of thatching alive in Devon

Harry is about to turn 25. “I love the idea of learning a ‘craft’ skill and I hope to carry on this amazing trade,” said Harry. “Learning with Shaun Clark and Keith Otto has, and still is, an incredible opportunity for any apprentice. The open air and not being in an office have been a big plus, oh and earning a good wage too!”

He is now into his fifth year of training and still as enthusiastic as the first. From wind and rain to snow and ice, to warm summer days, the future is looking positive for Harry. Now currently working on the Old Court House Inn in Chulmleigh, Harry Shaun and Keith are replacing the whole roof on this beautiful gem of a North Devon pub.

Landlord Sam takes a wander around the courtyard as work progresses and is very much looking forward to the finished thatch. The smell of the fresh thatch is just lovely, and as Shaun says, even more so after a damping down with fresh rain - the smell still gets to him after thirty odd years! Sam bought the rather tired pub twenty years ago from Ushers Brewery and has over time refurbished this lovely old building back its former glory. The new roof is the ideal finishing touch with fresh thatch after thirty years of weather, and ready for the next thirty years.

If you are a young school leaver, or coming to the end of college or a training course with no real path, maybe having a chat with your local Master Thatcher may just be the ticket. Shaun Clark & Keith Otto, Master Thatchers: shaunclarkthatching.co.uk Writer, and Harry’s dad, Steve Tickner runs The Cheese Larder in South Molton

Harry learning his craft through hands on experience on the roofs of Devon, with thatchers Shaun and Keith