Down the Thatch
It is surprising to learn that Dan Quartermain, who as a master thatcher spends much of his time high up on roofs, hesitated as a 16-year-old to begin an apprenticeship in the craft because he was scared of heights. “I thought: I’ve got to get over this issue or I won’t be doing the job,” he recalls with a rueful smile. “So, I forced myself and I’ve never looked back.”
That’s lucky for Dan’s customers who rely on him to keep the roofs of their thatched cottages – the chocolate-box epitome of English villages – in good repair.
Based in the Cotswolds and now with more than 35 years’
