7 Nov 2024

Tam o’ Thatcher: thatching the historic Bachelors’ Club

Written by Devan LaBrash

Two thatchers -- a man and a woman -- stand on ladders leaning against the thatched roof of the Bachelors' Club, with the village of Tarbolton in the background.

Thatchers Jonathan and Jane work on the roof of the Bachelors’ Club in Tarbolton.

Work has commenced to re-thatch the roof of the historic Bachelors’ Club, the site of Robert Burns’s social club where, in the late 1700s, he learned to dance, became a Freemason and created a debating society.

The Grade A-listed building stands in the village of Tarbolton in South Ayrshire. While it plays an important role in telling the story of Robert Burns’s life, it is also an excellent example of 17th-century vernacular architecture. As one of approximately 220 thatched buildings remaining in Scotland, it’s vital that its history is respected and preserved in the conservation process.

The Trust’s extensive eight-week project is the first phase of planned work at the Bachelors’ Club, which involves re-thatching the entire building; reforming the ridge of the thatch in a more traditional timber board finish; rebuilding a brick chimney head in traditional stone; making repairs to roof timbers; replacing the lead valleys and flashings with neighbouring properties; and carrying out repairs to stone skews. A second phase planned for early 2025 will look at the external elevations and internal finishes of the building.

These major works are being carried out by a team of thatchers who travelled from Yorkshire due to the skills shortage in this traditional trade across the UK. They will be supported by local joiners, stonemasons and roof workers. An archaeologist will also have a watching brief during the works to record any findings of interest or importance.

A thatcher works on re-thatching a reed thatched roof, with other town buildings visible in the background. She is on a ladder, attached to a rope and wearing an orange hard hat.

The eight-week project is the first phase of work at the Bachelors’ Club and involves re-thatching the entire building.

These conservation works were made possible by the Historic Environment Scotland Partnership Fund Grant, an ongoing partnership that enables our charity to not only carry out vital work but also to support the continuation of traditional crafts and skills.

To make the project as sustainable as possible, the reed for the thatching has been acquired from a Tayside RSPB reserve. Due to space challenges, it was originally stored at Culzean Castle & Country Park, before it was moved to a farm near Tarbolton for the thatchers to collect each day. The spent reed will be taken back to the farm where it will be used for mulch, minimising any waste.

Laura Baillie, Building Conservation Surveyor at the National Trust for Scotland, said: ‘This is a really special project that has taken a huge amount of logistical coordination. From appointing skilled tradespeople, which is a challenge in itself with traditional trades like thatching, to sourcing the reed and appropriate materials, we have worked hard to ensure we are preserving this 300-year-old building in a way that is both sustainable and true to its heritage.’

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“We’ve also included our Trust network and local communities by appointing local tradespeople where possible, and hopefully providing an element of upskilling as they observe the thatchers at work. The local farm that is storing the new reed and taking the spent reed for mulch belongs to a former stonemason apprentice at Culzean, so we owe a lot to the people around us who support projects like this.”

Laura Baillie

Building Conservation Surveyor

Caroline Smith, Operations Manager at Bachelors’ Club, said: ‘This is such an important site in the history of Burns’s life, and an important 17th-century building in its own right. With so few thatched buildings remaining in Scotland, this is vital conservation work for the Trust. This is the first phase of a larger project, with the next phase including repairs to the external and internal walls of the building, as well as carrying out thatch maintenance at Souter Johnnie’s Cottage in Ayrshire, another historical link to Burns. We are dedicated to preserving these important buildings for everyone to enjoy for many years to come.’

Three people, all wearing hard hats, stand beside a thatched roof, holding large sheaves of reeds.

Thatcher Jonathan Botterell, Laura Baillie (Building Conservation Surveyor), and thatcher Jane Benwell on the Bachelors’ Club roof.

The ongoing works at both the Bachelors’ Club and Souter Johnnie’s Cottage require additional funding and support. In the spring, the team will peel back the paint and plaster, repair the brick and stone below, and then the exterior of the buildings will be covered with harling (a mixture of lime and aggregate) to protect them. It will cost £330,000 to complete these works and the Trust requires £130,000 not currently covered by funding. Donations from generous supporters will directly assist the vital preservation of Burns’s legacy at these iconic locations.

The Bachelors’ Club is closed to the public while these works take place and is scheduled to reopen in 2025. People interested in learning more about Burns can visit our Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, which is open all year round.

The Historic Environment Scotland Partnership Fund Grant of £1,062,000 over 2023–26 enables the National Trust for Scotland to conduct vital conservation work across our built heritage properties, to better understand our built structures, and to invest in further training and skills development.

For more information about the project, or to make a donation to these works, please visit our Protecting Burns’s Legacy appeal page.