Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
.... he just couldn't afford the fire insurance. Do you have that problem over there?
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Yes, you'll pay over the odds for fire insurance and it's just one of the problems of living in such a house. Those cottages date from the early 1600s and are what is known as 'Listed Buildings', in other words they are under a preservation order of sorts. Repairs have to be in keeping with the original structure so replacing the thatch with tiles or slates etc., is a non-starter.
A work colleague of my father's lived in a thatched house a few miles the other side of Aylesbury. Every November 5th, when the Gunpowder Plot is celebrated with fireworks, not only would he stand outside all evening to keep his roof under observation, he persuaded members of the local volunteer fire brigade not to leave the village under any circumstances. I believe inducements of an alcoholic nature might have been offered.
