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The Ropery
The Master Ropemakers at The Historic Dockyard still make the rope that is used aboard the world's finest sailing ships. Visitors to the site can watch the traditional techniques and craftsmen at work as part of this fascinating process. Rope is made in the dockyard's unique ¼ mile long Ropery. In 1800 there were similar roperies at the dockyards of Chatham, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Woolwich; today only Chatham Ropery survives. Rope making demonstrations take place most days. "Hands-on" rope making is available for visitors to make rope themselves!
		ROPE PRODUCTION
		Rope is made in three stages. Raw fibres are spun into yarn; then a number of yarns are twisted together to form a strand; and finally several strands (usually three) are laid together to form a rope. It is vital that the twist is in a different direction at each stage the strands are twisted against the direction of the yarns and the finished rope against the strands.
		THE DOUBLE ROPEHOUSE
		The present building dates from 1791. Internally is one of the most striking industrial buildings in England with an uninterrupted length of 1,135ft (346m). Naval ropes were made in lengths of 120 fathoms (720ft/219m), which was the length of cable required to anchor a ship in forty fathoms (240ft/73m) of water.
		THE HEMP HOUSES
		The Hemp Houses are the oldest buildings in the ropeyard dating from 1728. Today the lower floor of The Hemp House is used for the Ropery Exhibition while the upper floor still contains working spinning machinery that can be viewed by visitors

Paul Dudman Voluntary Archivist Queen Mary's Hospital Archives Collection Queen Mary's Hospital E-mail: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.qmh-archives.org.uk Tel: 020 8223 7676 > I've often seen a "rope walk" marked on Victorian OS maps - >can >anyone tell > me exactly what these were? I cannot find references immediately but I seem to recollect that: Normally at least 100 yards was needed for a rope walk. Rope walks were normally in the open air. They were called "walks" because the people making the rope had to walk up and down the whole length of rope they were making. I have seen such rope walks still operating in the far east. Since ships produced an enormous demand for rope there was normally a rope yard at or near any dockyard, including, of course, the naval ones. In the 19th century the process was mechanised and moved in to factories. Belfast became the centre for ropemaking. There was a rope walk in my home town, Wolverhampton. Its long thin shape can still be seen on modern maps. On the ground it is still visible as an open, vacant, area and it seems that at some point in the nineteenth century a large, brick, shed-like building, about 100 yards long, was built to carry out the process indoors. The ropewalk and the surrounding area is about to be redeveloped. As a preliminary to that development archaeological and historical work is to be carried out and we might learn something more about this ropewalk and ropewalks generally. Frank Sharman Wolverhampton, UK