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 Reed has been harvested for centuries wherever settlements became established near rivers and wetlands. In the Norfolk Broads, reed was extensively used to thatch dwellings,agricultural buildings and churches. Harvesting, or cutting of reed, was carried out using hand held hooks or scythes during the Winter months.
 Bundles of reed were often transported from the reedbeds by boat using a network of dykes connected to the rivers which, in turn, provided access to the settlements. Many villages had landing areas, known as staithes, where bundles of reed were stacked for onward distribution.
Reed cutting provided employment during the Winter months when most agricultural work ceased. Cutting the reed, apart from producing a local sustainable roofing material, kept the open fen landscape and prevented natural succession changing the fens to woodland and scrub. Areas of sedge were cut during the Spring and Summer months, again using hand tools. Bunches of sedge provided a quality ridging material for reed thatched roofs.
The tools that Reed and Sedge cutters have used through time have changed from the hand held tools pictured to the predominantly mechanised approach at work today. These tools may appear simple but to use them to their full potential is a true art form Modern day cutters still return to the hand held tools on sensitive sites and at times of high water.
Despite the advances in machines for cutting, the Reed and Sedge industry remains one that is highly labour intensive and ultimately hard work.
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