THE thatched roofs of Hampshire are some of the most striking in the English countryside and can boast a heritage that can be traced back to the mists of time.

In ancient history, in and around the Iron Age, a wide range of materials including straw, turf, heather and reeds were used to thatch homes.

During Saxon and Tudor times this style of construction, which also used heather from the New Forest, continued for all but the most elaborate and expensive of buildings.

According to experts at Hampshire County Council there was always a danger of fire with a thatched roof and so this discouraged further use in towns.

“However, thatch was more economical and still widely used on smaller rural homes whose less robust roof structures were unsuitable for heavier coverings,’’ said a council publication on thatching in the county.

After the Second World War home improvement loans encouraged local authorities to replace thatched roofs with other material.

War shortages meant that corrugated iron and asbestos were used widely, in place of thatch, on agricultural buildings.

In a relatively recent county council report, Thatch in Hampshire, Sustaining a Tradition, said: “In 1993 a national survey found that some southern counties had lost all or nearly all their ancient thatched roofs.

“Where samples of early thatch layers were found surviving in smoke-blacked layers, they contained well preserved samples of medieval plant life. On one 15th century roof, sampled in the Hampshire village of Kings Somborne included rare specimens of bread wheat and rye on the base layer of thatch.

“The benefits of maintaining the thatched roofs and straw-thatching traditions of Hampshire extend beyond aesthetics. As the roof covering of small houses and cottages, agricultural buildings and wall-tops, thatch makes an essential contribution to the distinctive character of the county’s villages and landscape.’’ Thatching facts The traditional craft of thatching has a language all of its own including: - Sways: Split or round rods made of hazel to secure thatch.

- Leggett: A wooden tool, also known as a bat, beetle or dresser, used to push or drive thatch into position.

- Spars: Spar-making is a craft that varies in practice from county to county. Split lengths of hazel or willow are sharpened at both ends, twisted in the middle and bent to use as staples to secure new thatch.

- Liggers: Long split rods five feet in length, pegged down by spars to secure and decorate the exterior coat of thatch.

- Pole rafters: Whole, straight, small tree trunks, found as main structural members in 18th century roof frames covered in thatch.