In the past people would ‘patch up’ thatch over the years, but the affluent new owners of thatched houses can afford to completely overhaul the roof. Sadly this practice, without thought to the environment, is killing off the now rare thatch moss.

This beautiful home is a rubble stone lime mortar reed thatched cottage in Blaise Hamlet near Bristol, England. It was designed by John Nash, a master of the picturesque architectural style and designer of Buckingham Palace. The cottage, along with the rest of the hamlet, is owned by the UK's National Trust.