Shepherd's Thatch (then known as The Thatched Cottage at Upper Nash), pictured in the 1960s.

Shepherd's Thatch, pictured in 2004

Shepherd's Thatch is a fifteenth century timber-framed, thatched house that was built in the early 1400s.
It is believed that the original design was as an open hall, with the two end bays built into two stories.
There is evidence to support this in the roof space. It appears that subsequently a smoke bay was installed,
allowing the main first floor to be built and then, at a later date, a substantial internal chimney was
added to the building. In its early days the house would have been one of the largest and finest in the area,
before being taken on by the Abergavenny Estate and sub-divided into two tied cottages for agricultural workers.
At some stage stone cladding was added to the south wall to protect the timbers from weathering.

Nesting birds presented a major challenge for much of the twentieth century, with both sparrows and starlings
making the thatch their home and causing frustrating damage and water ingress. Ernie and Margaret Jane,
were long-time residents during Mr. Jane's employment as a farmhand and herdsman for the property's owner,
farmer William (Bill) Harmer from The Granary. They told neighbours that they had to contend with many leaks at the
east end of the house, where there was no ceiling and the underside of the thatch was visible from the ground floor.
At the time the cottage had a staircase at either end, with no windows in most of the north side, save at the far west end.
As well as the puddles, the unfortunate Mrs. Jane had to contend with the daily chore of removing death watch beetles!

Mr and Mrs Jane moved to nearby Timber Cottage on his retirement, while Shepherd's Thatch was sold
and extensive renovation works were carried out. Over time the reconstruction include the addition
of a new porch, front door and a number of additional windows in the north wall, the removal of the outside privy
and garage / shed at the south east corner of the plot. This work was completed while retaining many of the original
features of the timber-framed house. Discrete wire netting has been used to protect the thatch from marauding starlings.

Recent research has revealed the brick floor and footings of the walls of the original privy, but has not so
far located the well which is shown in the garden on early Ordinance Survey Maps.

Today Shepherd's Thatch is a fine example of a fifteenth century timber-framed house
that is also a practical, modern family home.