CONTEXT 189 : SEPTEMBER 2026 25 INFRASTRUCTURE The geographical distribution of straw production in England Thatching straw being processed into combed wheat reed by a reed-comber in Somerset rival wheat straw as the chosen material for thatching in the UK. A recent survey by Historic England suggests that approximately 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres) of arable land are currently under cultivation for thatch production in England (very little is grown in Scotland and Wales). Approximately 60 per cent of this area comprises winter wheat; the remaining 40 per cent being Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). Of this total area, only nine of the growers are recorded as growing more than 100 acres of straw, and they account for almost 50 per cent of the total acreage producing straw. This concentration of a high proportion of straw production in the hands of only a few growers leaves the supply of thatching straw vulnerable to sudden shortages, since the loss of only one of those producers could significantly reduce the amount of straw available for thatching. Eight of those nine higher-output growers are based in the West Country. As shown in the diagram, the growing of cereal straw for thatching is very heavily concentrated in the south west, with the east of England and the south east accounting for the majority of the remainder. A particularly poor straw harvest in 2020 led to a shortage of material, which caused concern among conservation officers as they faced increasing pressure to allow strawthatched roofs to be recoated with water reed. These concerns prompted Historic England’s building conservation team to undertake the first comprehensive survey of thatching straw producers in England. The purpose was to obtain independent evidence of the availability of thatching straw and the general resilience of the straw-growing sector, while also drilling down into the main issues affecting straw production and availability. The team tried to identify as many thatching straw producers as possible across the country. A questionnaire was devised and then completed by the growers. The survey revealed that the straw-growing sector was facing an uncertain future due to several factors, which extended well beyond one poor harvest. A combination of circumstances had recently caused several growers to give up or significantly reduce their production levels, while others expressed doubts about their ability to continue growing in the longer term. The concerns were serious enough to justify the appointment of a project manager in 2021 to further investigate the issues affecting UK thatch production. The first priority was to repeat the original survey to see how circumstances had changed for growers and thatchers since the 2020 harvest, and to widen the investigation into straw production to identify the main issues currently constraining the supply, or deterring the production, of traditional thatch materials in England; to understand the contributory factors behind those issues; and to consider potential ways of overcoming or mitigating them through such means as further research, actions and policy changes. A wide consultation process within the sector resulted in the publication of the research report Traditional Thatching Materials: issues affecting a sustainable future.1 Feedback from the consultation highlighted six main issues that were affecting the consistent and long-term supply of thatch in England: • Impact of extreme weather and climate change on the cultivation and harvesting of straw (and to a lesser extent water reed). • Limited commercial seed availability of wheat varieties suitable for thatching straw. • Reduced availability of labour for harvesting and processing of thatching straw and reed following Brexit. • Reliance of most straw producers on old, unreliable or inefficient machinery. • Shortage of buildings either available or affordable for the storage and processing of thatch and associated machinery. • Shortage of reed beds in England being managed for thatch production. THREATENED MATERIALS AND CRAFTS 1 Chesher, Jenny (2023) Traditional Thatching Materials: issues affecting a sustainable future, Historic England Research Report Series 30.
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