Covered thatch

"This is an old thatched farmhouse, probably pre famine, that was re-roofed with galvenised sheet iron in the 1960's. I was born and spent the first decade of my life living in an old thatched farmhouse so this opportunity to take this photograph was welcomed. This is a very revealing photo as it was captured as the owner had removed one side of the galvanised roof to reveal the original thatched roof underneath. Thatched houses were considered to be much warmer than those with other roofings and the owner seems to have retained the thatched roof for that reason. Another interesting fact is that the galvanised roof was significantly higher than the thatched one, which I assume was for ventilation purposes sheet iron caused severe condensation in frosty weather. The steepness and extra height of the galvanised roof would give the impression that such houses contained attic rooms. In many cases the thatched roof was removed so this one is important historically. Photo 2 is an item found in the 1960's beside my old thatched dwelling and I originally thought it was a toasting fork because of its length but when i showed it to a thatcher he informed me that it was an old thatching fork that was used to repair small leaks in the thatch and he showed me how it was used as he was repairing a thatched roof in my area. Photo 3 is a photo taken in c.2012 when a local thatched house was being repaired."