Mackay Thatching (Nick Mackay)

Mackay Thatching is run by Nick Mackay from Deanshanger in South Northamptonshire. He began as an apprentice with a Henley-on-Thames reed thatching firm in 1974, later worked alongside the thatcher Frank Purser, and has thatched under his own name since 1983. The business works in long straw, combed wheat reed and water reed, mostly within about 35 miles of its base across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, with occasional projects further afield. It also carries out chimney and window leadwork and offers roof surveys and consultancy on thatching issues. Work shown includes a water reed rethatch at Pirton and long straw at Shillington. The site places weight on traditional fixing methods and craft values, and advises owners to compare past work and insist on detailed written specifications when choosing a thatcher.