image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pencil_Cottage.jpg (author: Garry Knight cc)

Pencil cottage is a thatched roof house in Shanklin Old Village on the Isle of Wight, UK that dates back to the 17th Century.

Old photo circa 1960:

image from: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/682072 (Copyright: Christine Matthews – licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence)

Pencil Cottage is now used as a gift shop and tea room.

The village where it is located – Shanklin Old Village – contains some of the oldest dwellings in the region. It has long been a popular tourist destination and as such is home to several inns, pubs, and tea houses – most of which have thatched roofs.

Here’s an historic postcard image of Shanklin Old Village that showcases the many thatched roofs:

image from: flickrhivemind.net (afrowolf)

Thatched roofs are literally built from dry vegetation such as straw, reeds, rushes, large leaves, or twigs. The material is layered on a slope to shed water away from the building. This style of roofing goes back a long way but the outer layers actually need to be replaced every 8-14 years, according to Wikipedia.

There’s nothing quite like a thatched roof on a bona fide fairytale English stone cottage.

At Pencil Cottage, you can have your tea and drink it too! 

image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanklin_Village_-_Pencil_Cottage_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1336616.jpg (author: Peter Trimming cc)

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For further information about Pencil Cottage, see the following links:

http://www.pencilcottage.co.uk/

http://www.isleofwightattractions.co.uk/ShanklinOldVillage1.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190925-d2686308-r133622663-Pencil_Cottage-Shanklin_Isle_of_Wight_England.html

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