Tour Scotland Photograph Sign Of The Times

Tour Scotland photograph of a satellite dish on the roof of a thatched cottage in Rait, Perthshire, Scotland. In most of rural Scotland thatch remained the only roofing material available to the bulk of the population in the countryside, in many towns and villages, until the late 1800s. Commercial production of slate began in 1820, and the mobility provided by railways made other materials readily available. Still, the number of thatched properties actually increased in the UK during the mid 1800s as agriculture expanded, but then declined again at the end of the 19th century because of agricultural recession and rural depopulation. Gradually, thatch became a mark of poverty, and the number of thatched properties gradually declined, as did the number of professional thatchers.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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