PEOPLE passing by a house in Ben Rhydding in the last couple of weeks could be forgiven if they think they have taken a step back in time.

A rural craft which some might think had gone the same way as horse-drawn ploughing and manual corn threshing has been on living display at the Bolling Road home of Richard and Ann Bly.

After ten years of living in one of the few West Yorkshire thatched cottages the couple decided their home needed a new roof.

The work, which will take about another three weeks to complete, is being carried out by York-based master thatcher William Tegetmeier.

It will see the original thatch which was laid when the house was built in 1935, replaced with around 10 tonnes of Polish and Scottish thatch, topped off with a ridge of long-stemmed wheat.

Mr Bly said that one of the main drawbacks of having a thatched roof used to be the risk of fire, but since the demise of open fires in people's homes the risk had diminished.

But there are quite a few advantages including wonderful insulation and the attraction the straw provides for wild birds.

Mr Bly said: "When the work is finished we will have no gutters or down pipes to deal with or anything like that.

" It has stood up to a lot of gales and does not need a lot of maintenance."

Although the estimate for the work comes to around a massive £20,000, the Blys think it will be money well spent.

"If it lasts as long as the original roof it will be another 65 years before it needs replacing," Mr Bly said.

The house was designed by Leeds architect Stanley Wright who in the 1930s collaborated with the Norfolk Reed Company to produce a number of modern thatched houses in Britain.

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