Historic Environment Scotland supports traditional building materials, craft skills...
...and their continued conservation and maintenance.
We work closely with a range of partners including the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore.
The collections and buildings in the museum teach the public about past ways of life in the Scottish Highlands.
In 2017, Historic Environment Scotland supported the re-thatching of the Herbridean blackhouse in marram grass.
It was a chance to foster the thatching tradition and to learn more about the traditional craft.
In this video, Neil Nicholson, a Thatcher from North Uist, talks to us about the rewards and challenges of his craft.
I'm using Marram Grass. It can be called bent grass as well.
It's been 21 years, it's been quite a while I've been doing this.
I got into it on my parents croft. The roof was starting to fall in.
I asked my parents if I could renovate it and they said "yeah, help yourself." They probably thought I'd never do it.
I start stripping off the old roof, really seeing how the old roof was done.
I worked out how it was put on, and from that, I worked out how to put it back on again.
So I just reversed procedures. Then an old gentleman from the village, where I used to stay, he originally thatched the house...
...he came down to see the old building getting done up.
He talked me through lots of different things, pros and cons of different things.
It's good to hear how the old generation did it.
It comes from Western Isles, from Uist. I get it from a small island off the side of North Uist.
I harvest it from usually October or end of September right through to March, April, depending on the weather.
I bundle it into sheaves. Small sheaves.
With the turfing you have to kind of use ground that's been not ploughed, untouched, just grazed.
You want a lot of weed in the turf. That helps keep it all in one piece.
It's natural and it's good stuff. The best time for doing these roofs is the winter time. Your grass comes into season, it grows all summertime.
You harvest it, then you put it on the roof. Your busiest time is between October and January, February.
It's good to know that from what grass I'm cutting, it's growing back stronger and healthier.
Where the grass before, I cut once a year. Now it's getting cut twice a year.
It's growing so well and it's sustainable. It's making it more sustainable.
It's mostly just to help the thatch stick to the roof basically.
That's a layer of insulation too, and stops the wind getting through as much.
The turf is basically a bonding course for the thatch to stick to.
This is a homemade tool. I was given this tool around 15 years ago now.
It's basically an extension of your hand. Where as before you would use your hand.
You'd put the grass in between your thumb and your finger and you'd drive it into the turf or the old thatch.
With this, you do the same thing.
It's just less damaging to the turf and the thatch. By using this tool you put the thatch into it.
Then you drive it into the roof. That way, it's cleaner and more effective.
Generally, netting the hole and then putting these stones on. These stones have got hooks in them so they are adjustable.
As the thatch gets older, the netting gets longer and comes down the roof.
You can adjust these stones, after say two years. The stones might be there just now...
....in two years they'll down there, touching the floor, so you want to readjust them.
It's all about keeping the tension in the thatch.
The first coat doesn't last as long because you thatch into turves.
The next coat gets thicker as it gets thatched into previous thatch. You're building up layers of layer. It will last.
I did a house last year which the roof was about 70-80 years old. I've just added to all the time.
The roof was maybe about that thick. I basically gave it a good haircut. I took it back to its first coat so I could go back through the years.
You could tell by taking the stuff off what kind of grass you had.
After 30-40 years you know that was a good year.
I went back to the first layer and re-thatched it again.
After so long you will have to go back.
I've got one particular customer who is worried that if he doesn't get a grant soon...
...he'll need to put reed or something on and not use marram grass.
That would be a great shame because we want to keep using this material.
It's crucial. The problem I'm having is that new builds are only new for so long. You get a thatched building grant for a traditional building.
Maybe having more thatchers and then having the the laborers there to kind of have on monthly wages.
It's harder for the main thatcher with cash flow.
The young person will want their monthly wage.
I find that just now I have to keep previous money from my previous job for my next job.
I get a starting payment, a middle payment and an end payment, just because it's too long...
...to wait to get a final payment.
I'm now thinking what will happen once I retire.
It's very hard to find someone who is flexible enough to do the job and can also do another job where they can do their own work.
I've taken quite a few young people on. You find it's hit and miss.
Sometimes it's too hit and miss.
Sometimes you may not get a job for a few months.
Sometimes you get three or four jobs in the same go.
It's very seasonal.
It's seasonal but you're not paid every month. It's quite hard for young people to get into.
But it's getting more predictable because the maintenance is getting more regular.
There's probably about 15 houses in the Highlands now that need maintenance.
Protection from the wind so you don't hear the wind and the rain.
When you're inside one of these houses you just don't hear anything.
Sometimes that's a good thing we're in the islands. You don't want to know what's going on outside.
It looks looks really good and it's traditionally a good thing to keep going.
The best thing about being a thatcher is meeting people, doing different jobs, different houses. You're always moving from house to house.
Cutting the grass is usually nice as well, you're usually on a nice beach in the nice weather.
The money is usually good which always helps but it's just having to wait for it.
Sometimes you're on a job for a month or two. As long as your cash flow is good then you're fine.
Seeing the finished result is the best. Seeing other people's reactions.
People say it's always really nice to see.
People really enjoy seeing these roofs done.
It's hard work, there's no getting away from it.
I get paid for hard work.