Big news in the south: scaffolding has gone up at Harry Kelly’s Cottage in Cregneash today, and Manx National Heritage has confirmed that the long-awaited thatching work is officially about to begin.
If you’ve wandered past the site recently and thought, 'That roof looks like it’s had a rough night', you’d be right.
Back in September, MNH revealed that recent high winds and heavy rain had caused damage to the cottage’s traditional thatched covering.
As a quick fix, the team had to throw a giant tarpaulin over the whole thing, a sort of winter hat, to stop the historic structure from getting any worse.
And this isn’t just any roof. Or cottage.
Harry Kelly’s Cottage is one of the island’s last surviving traditionally thatched dwellings, complete with a rare scraa underlay, thinly cut turf laid beneath the straw.
It’s an ancient monument not just because of the architecture, but because of its connection to Harry Kelly himself, a native Manx speaker whose home later helped form the first Open Air Folk Museum in the British Isles when it opened in 1938.
MNH Executive Director Connie Lovel summed up the importance of the repair work back in September, saying: 'Harry Kelly’s Cottage is one of the Isle of Man’s most iconic historic buildings and a cornerstone of Cregneash.
'The damage caused by recent adverse weather highlights how vulnerable these rare thatched structures are.
'By acting quickly, we can protect the cottage and its interior and prepare for rethatching and conservation works.'
Full rethatching is due to be completed in spring 2026, when visitors will be able to watch skilled craftsmen restoring the roof the old-fashioned way.