Backstory
Colin McGhee, Master Thatcher
Colin McGhee decided at the age of 7 that he wanted to be a thatcher. When he was 16, a school counselor gave him the name of fifty thatchers working in England, and he began looking for an apprenticeship. In England, a five year apprenticeship and college courses are mandatory before a thatcher can work alone. During his apprenticeship, McGhee won his first award–best journeyman/apprentice–for work on a roof in Essex.
After completing his apprenticeship, McGhee joined the prestigious East Anglia Master Thatchers Association and spent several years working in England. He won best Associate Members Cup for a long straw roof that he worked on in Essex. At the age of 25, he became the youngest thatcher ever to receive the Ely Challenge Cup for his work on a Tudor cottage.
In 1991, McGhee was asked to take on a project in the United States. He says of the job, “I’d always wanted to bring thatch back to the United States, and I accepted right away. The U.S. market for thatch has been steady, and I’ve been here ever since.”
A Lifetime of Experience
Colin McGhee has over fifty years of experience and began specializing in water reed thatching soon after moving to the United States; he learned quickly it was better suited for damp American weather. Over the past 35 years, he has perfected the craft of thatching for the American climate.
McGhee has developed a unique method of using water reed for ridges, which last much longer than traditional straw ridges. He provides fire retardant and peeled reed for roofs in hot and humid climates to increase longevity. In 2020, McGhee developed a method of thatching walls in addition to traditional roofing. McGhee’s precision and dedication to his craft is unmatched; he has worked with world-renowned architects to create timeless works of art throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
The Crew
Colin McGhee’s permanent crew is made up of his son, Duncan McGhee, and his long-standing assistant, Matthew Spittle. Duncan began to learn thatching from his father at the age of 13, and he took to the craft quickly. With over a decade of experience, he approaches thatching with a detail-oriented and keen eye that Master Thatcher Colin McGhee states is beyond his years. Matthew has worked with Colin for over twenty years, and his loyalty and dedication to the craft are unwavering.