Four must-visit thatched cottages

    Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Gardens
    Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Gardens – one of the most famous examples of a thatched cottage. Credit: VisitBritain/LeeBeel

    Thatched cottages are one of the highlights of the English countryside, perfectly crowning sweet cottages that peek out from behind flowering gardens. We take a look at the straw-topped dwellings that are as much a part of the rural idyll as rolling fields, tolling church bells and quaint pubs.

    Hardy’s Cottage, Dorchester
    Hardy's Cottage, Dorchester
    The birthplace of poet Thomas Hardy, Hardy’s Cottage, Dorchester. Credit: National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

    The birthplace of Thomas Hardy, the Victorian author of Far from the Madding Crowd, Hardy’s Cottage was built and thatched by his own grandfather.

    Stembridge Tower Mill, Somerset
    Stembridge Tower Mill, Somerset
    Stembridge Tower Mill, Somerset, the last remaining thatched windmill in England. Credit: Alamy/Rolf Richardson

    Built in 1822, Grade II* listed Stembridge Tower Mill is the last remaining thatched windmill in England and underwent a major restoration in 2009.

    Pencil Cottage, Shanklin Old Village, Isle of Wight
    Pencil Cottage, Shanklin Old Village, Isle of Wight
    Pencil Cottage, Shanklin Old Village, Isle of Wight. Credit: Horst Mahr

    With its own tearoom, gift shop and garden overlooking Chine Hollow, Pencil Cottage, the Grade II listed 1820s cottage is a popular tourist destination.

    The Museum Inn, Farnham
    The Museum Inn, Farnham
    The Museum Inn, Farnham. Credit: Museum Inn

    In a Dorset village dotted with thatch, The Museum Inn, the 17th-century, Pitt Rivers-built inn, has eight double rooms and a separate thatched cottage that sleeps 16.

    For more on the art of thatching and the beautiful buildings crowned by them, see the April/May issue of Discover Britain, on sale now.

     

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