Thatched house

Up to the end of the nineteenth century, thatch was widely used as a roof covering, primarily in rural areas. The practice then fell out of use, replaced by slate and tiling. Traditionally, houses were built with materials gleaned from the local area: stones were used for masonry and, in the mountains, rye was used for the roofs. The construction of a thatch roof required local skills that were traditionally handed down through generations of thatchers. The straw is threshed, sifted, combed and tied into bundles (called a cleu in the Valgaudemar) before being installed on a wooden structure. It is laid in such a way as to shed rainwater and this helps prevent rotting. A wooden bat is used to beat the straw in order to give the roof the desired shape. The thickness of this covering varies from 25 to 40 cm and it also offers significant heat insulation. This house, situated in the hamlet of Les Portes, has been restored using reeds from Camargue.