CONTEXT 189 : SEPTEMBER 2026 29 INFRASTRUCTURE THREATENED MATERIALS AND CRAFTS Sally Stradling is a heritage consultant, and former SPAB trustee and co-chair of the technical and research committee. woodland management schemes, including on National Trust estates, such as at Coleshill, near Swindon. There is no lack of coppicing or sparmaking training initiatives taking place on large and small scales. The NCFed and National Society of Master Thatchers (NSMT) regional groups are increasingly working together (as at Whittlewood Concept, Northants, and the Hampshire Coppice Group) to train apprentices in making hazel spars and to establish spar supplies. Other spar-making training is being offered by individual thatchers or conservationists. Details of courses can be found on the NCFed, National Trust and SPAB websites. The Coppice Products database lists businesses and individual coppice workers who sell or make spars. It is interesting to note the availability of hazel gads from Bradfield Woods, near Bury St Edmunds, owned and managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. These woods are unique Apprentices in a hazel coppice training with the Hampshire coppice group, Clanfield (Photo: Andy Raffle) A National Society of Master Thatchers spar-making competition (Photo: Andy Raffle) Bundles of spars (with two sharp ends, bent to act as a staple) and liggers (laid horizontally to hold thatch in place and form decorative patterns) (Photo: Andy Raffle) at Calverton, Nottingham, this autumn. The NCFed has appointed two spar officers, one of whom is Kit Davis, a master thatcher and past chair of the NSMT.The aim is for thatchers and coppicers to keep the craft alive, increase home production, build resilience into the market and reduce reliance on imports. Although there may be few full-time spar makers, part-time spar production could make a useful second income stream. Various organisations, such as the King’s Foundation and Heritage Crafts, offer bursaries and grants for traditional craft skills, including for thatching and spar making. Heritage Crafts, which maintains the red list of endangered crafts, invites crafts practitioners and organisations in the UK to apply for small grants to fund projects that support endangered crafts. SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) has been promoting dialogue between interested parties to support the production of spars, and there is an evolving list of spar makers on the SPAB specialist database. The key issue for the survival of thatch is securing high-quality, reliable supplies of material in commercial quantities. There are many positive signs that the materials and skills shortages around the production of thatching spars are gradually being addressed. Thatch is an infinitely sustainable material. It is a good insulator, keeping properties cool in summer and warm in winter. Spars play a major part in the sustainability credentials of thatched roofs. Let us hope that these positive signs continue with home-produced hazel spars and local craft skills being employed to maintain and renew thatched roofs up and down the country. in having been under continuous traditional coppice management since 1252. Spar making is part of the NVQ qualification for thatchers. The NSMT sponsors spar-making competitions across the country to encourage spar makers to meet and compare notes, with an upcoming event at the NCFed annual gathering
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