"Thatches"

In England, houses have names. For example, we live in Briony House. In the nice neighborhood where I like to go for walks there is a property with the name of "Thatches". Sure enough, located on this property are at least 2 thatched-roof houses.

Thatched-roof house

House Name of "Thatches"

Wikipedia tells me that thatch was the main roofing material available in the United Kingdom countryside until the late 1800's. The development of canals and railroads eventually made other materials more readily available. Gradually, thatch became a mark of poverty and the number of thatched properties declined.

Fast forward to now and we find that thatch has become much more popular in the United Kingdom over the past 30 years. It is now a symbol of wealth. Thatching is becoming popular again because of the renewed interest in preserving historic buildings and using more sustainable building materials.

I learned something new just from a house name catching my eye.