@tomxallan

Thatcher, writer. Borderer šŸ“󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁓ó æ in Devon Not on X very often

 South Devon
linktr.ee/tomallanwrites
Joined June 2009
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  • Followers567
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On the Roof - my first book - publishes in the UK today. I've put an awful lot into this project, and it's both wonderful and surreal to finally see it out in the world. You can order a copy here: profilebooks.com/work/on-theā€¦
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Profile Books@ProfileBooks29 Aug 2024
Today, we publish @tomxallan's beautiful and rich story of thatching, #OnTheRoof. From Devon to the Hebrides, the Netherlands to Japan, this is a fascinating tour of this ancient craft and its practitioners šŸŒ¾ tinyurl.com/OnTheRoofTomAllaā€¦
A rectangular graphic with a black and white photographic background of bales of straw. The hardback book On the Roof by Tom Allan is on the right-hand side. To the left of this is the following quote from the book, ā€˜The reed goes on, the reed comes off. The reed rots and returns to the earth. The houses we work on outlast us. The thatch we use has never stood stillā€™. The Profile Books logo is centred at the bottom of the graphic.

ALT A rectangular graphic with a black and white photographic background of bales of straw. The hardback book On the Roof by Tom Allan is on the right-hand side. To the left of this is the following quote from the book, ā€˜The reed goes on, the reed comes off. The reed rots and returns to the earth. The houses we work on outlast us. The thatch we use has never stood stillā€™. The Profile Books logo is centred at the bottom of the graphic.

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I've just received a copy of A Thatcher's Journey by Tom Allan....go and get yourself one, as it promises to be a wonderful book
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Country diary: A sandhopper vanishes, too quick for the human eye | Tom Allan theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Country diary: A sandhopper vanishes, too quick for the human eye | Tom Allan

Lannacombe Beach, south Devon: They are crustaceans the size of a housefly, and their presence here shows the beach is healthy

theguardian.com
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Imagine being able to hear the pollution in the air around you. My latest artwork turns a year of city air into sound. #BristolBurning is a data sonification and a dub track w/ vocals by T. Relly. šŸ“¹ Rosana Warshawski + Esme Warren Commission @KWMC youtu.be/AhWWO0EtM1c
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Country diary: English thatchers are having to take to the woods | Tom Allan theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Country diary: English thatchers are having to take to the woods | Tom Allan

Start Bay, Devon: Iā€™m on the hunt for straight hazel for a roof, and supple hazel for a fiddly porch. Normally I wouldnā€™t be doing this

theguardian.com
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Scotlandā€™s oldest continuously inhabited house, the wonderfully unchanged Traquair House in the Scottish Borders. Parts of it date back at least as far as 1107, when King Alexander I of Scotland signed a royal charter at Traquair. More pics and info: undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/iā€¦
Traquair House in the Scottish Borders. The image shows the front of the building in sunshine. It is painted white and is four storeys high and quite wide, with, just visible, wings projecting forward at the sides. There is an ornate metal fence in front of the house with a half-open gate in it. The foreground is grass and flower beds and a hill rises on the right in the background.

ALT Traquair House in the Scottish Borders. The image shows the front of the building in sunshine. It is painted white and is four storeys high and quite wide, with, just visible, wings projecting forward at the sides. There is an ornate metal fence in front of the house with a half-open gate in it. The foreground is grass and flower beds and a hill rises on the right in the background.

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Wrote for the @GdnCountryDiary about alder disease and seeing the natural world through an 18-month-old's eyes ā€“ at Harbertonford, England
Country diary@GdnCountryDiary17 Jan 2023
Country diary: The alder trees here are suffering | Tom Allan theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Country diary: The alder trees here are suffering | Tom Allan

Wolfehopelee, Scottish Borders: A walk in a familiar fragment of woodland is pleasant enough before we see the first dead crowns

theguardian.com
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Morning among the Devon rooftops #Thatching ā€“ at South West, England
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NEW: The government is poised to scrap the Environment Land Management Scheme - the 'Brexit bonus' for nature and what wildlife groups call the 'only silver lining of Brexit'. By me and @patrick_barkham for the Observer theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Government poised to scrap nature ā€˜Brexit bonusā€™ for farmers

Defra accused of ā€˜all-out attackā€™ on environment by wildlife groups

theguardian.com
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Ridging in the Netherlands. Unlike the straw and hazel ridges I am familiar with in England, here clay tiles -'nokvorst'- are traditionally used on thatched roofs. Today I learned how to fit them ā€“ at Gelderland, Nederland
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My Country Diary from the Borders on the abandoned hill farm of Westshiels
Country diary@GdnCountryDiary11 Aug 2022
Country diary: The abandoned farmhouse has new occupants now theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Country diary: The abandoned farmhouse has new occupants now

Westshiels, Scottish Borders: On a thundery day I pick my way to this remote ruin that hasnā€™t been in human use for 70 years

theguardian.com
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Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous MOLE! I turned up this surprise guest today, hiding beneath my bundles of thatching reed... ā€“ at Harbertonford, England
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A lovely little roof to work on - the old cobbler's shop in the village of South Milton. The 'sticky up' finial ends are quite typical in this part of South Devon. I cut the hazel used to form their points from a hedge a hundred metres from the roof ā€“ at Harbertonford, England
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My Country Diary from Skye, on thatching with reed that grew from the embers of a Tayside wildfire šŸ“ø @TheMasterThatch
Country diary@GdnCountryDiary9 Jun 2022
Country diary: The thatching reed is on the rise again theguardian.com/environment/ā€¦

Country diary: The thatching reed is on the rise again

Totscore, Isle of Skye: Iā€™m here to thatch a restored blackhouse, with material that grew from the embers of a devastating fire

theguardian.com
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Thatching on the Isle of Skye. I have helping @tomxallan with a blackhouse he is thatching. Using Scottish reed, it has been a brilliant experience, learning about different techniques and styles of the this most vernacular of crafts.
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Honoured, thank you Caroline! ā€“ at South West, England
Caroline Eden@edentravels4 Apr 2022
Replying to @rachelhagan_ @monisha_rajesh
Thanks Rachel! For writers about ā€˜placeā€™ who also contribute to newspapers and publications, Iā€™d also add @tomxallan, @MegaHeid, Kapka Kassabova, William Atkins, @_TharikHussain, @sweetsnbitters, @sineadgleeson
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Can anyone help connect me with people driving supplies to Ukraine / eastern Poland from the UK? #UkraineRussianWar ā€“ at Otopeni, RomĆ¢nia
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Collecting reed from the local marshes. Reedcutters Wally and Luke are father and son. Now in his 70's, Wally still cuts by hand. Marshman, eel catcher, poacher, drinker, raconteur-and one of the most charming, extraordinary characters I know.
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Flock of rooks at sunrise ā€“ at South West, England
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