{"id":10630,"date":"2024-05-01T19:21:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T19:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgwaterheritage.com\/wp\/?page_id=10630"},"modified":"2025-02-04T19:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T19:55:05","slug":"bridgwater-ropewalks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bridgwaterheritage.com\/wp\/built-environment\/lost-buildings\/bridgwater-ropewalks\/","title":{"rendered":"Where were Bridgwater\u2019s Ropewalks?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article on Bridgwater’s Ropewalks has been researched and kindly supplied by Clare Spicer and Jill Trethewey. It was made to accompany a number of biographies of several of the ropemaker’s mentioned below, which can be found on the website of the Friends of the Wembdon Road Cemetery<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridgwater is a seaport situated on the tidal estuary of the river Parrett, and has been involved in ship building for centuries. The banks of the Parrett have echoed with the sounds of sawing, hammering and the shouts of the ship builders, and filled with the scents of freshly sawn wood, hemp rope and pitch, together with salt water as the tide came in and river mud as the tide went out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rope making was an important part of shipbuilding, so where were the ropewalks so vital to Bridgwater shipping, and who was running them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Street map of 1883, showing the location of known ropewalks around Bridgwater.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Key to ropewalks on the map above:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. John Trott family ropewalk on the east bank of the Parrett<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. William Edwards\u2019 Northgate\/Glass Cone ropewalk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. William Peach\u2019s Hamp ropewalk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. John Waddon\u2019s Hamp ropewalk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. John Waddon\u2019s Eastover ropewalk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Thomas Parson\u2019s Chilton ropewalk<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The list above shows the names of five different rope makers, and six of their ropewalks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bridgwater boat and ship builders made vessels of all kinds, from small rowing boats, to large barges, fishing boats and cargo ships. All of these would have needed at least a rope to moor them, and maybe another for an anchor. Many of the larger boats would have one or more sails, and so the industry of shipbuilding encouraged the associated activities of sail and rope making. Sailmakers used a type of twine for stitching canvas together, and for stitching rope edging to sails, so many sailmakers also made twine and rope as part of their business. Some craftsmen specialised in making twine and rope, and these rope makers would need their own ropewalk, a long, narrow path which was used to lay out very long lengths of hemp yarn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    John Trott family ropewalk on the East bank of the Parrett, 1730s or earlier<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the earliest records for a Bridgwater rope maker was in 1685, when the Bridgwater Receiver\u2019s Accounts recorded a payment of nine shillings to Mr Trott[i]<\/a>. Bridgwater had suffered greatly during the Siege of Bridgwater in 1645, when most of the buildings in Eastover were destroyed and many people left in deep poverty. The town was still slowly recovering towards the end of the seventeenth century, and in 1685 a group of town merchants got together to pay for a new alms house. John Trott received nine shillings for supplying the ropes for the scaffolding work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As John Trott was working in Bridgwater during 1685, he may have seen the Duke of Monmouth proclaimed king on the 25th<\/sup> of June at the Cornhill, and he would have certainly been aware of the many executions following the failed rebellion[ii]<\/a>. John Trott managed to avoid getting into serious trouble, as in 1691 he married Elizabeth and started a family. By 1693, trade in the town had revived sufficiently for an Act of Parliament to be passed, allowing the repair and enlargement of the bridge and quay. John Trott supplied all the necessary rope for the building works. By now he was referred to as \u2018Mr John Trott\u2019, indicating that he was one of the established merchants of the town. John Trott senior died at the end of 1729, but his son, also called John, continued his father\u2019s business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During the 1730s, John Trott (junior) built a graving and repairing dock on the East Bank of the river Parrett. John Strachey\u2019s Plan of 1735 doesn\u2019t show the dock, but does show the end of a rope walk close to Eastover, almost certainly part of the Trott family shipbuilding, sail and rope making business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Strachey Plan of 1735, highlighting the start of the ropewalk at the bottom edge of the map<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    N.B<\/strong>. This map was drawn with west at the top, although has been rotated so north is at the top, for consistency with the other maps shown here. On the original, the rope walk is at the bottom of the map. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This ropewalk was visible on the 1819 Town Plan, stretching from the back gardens of houses on Eastover, behind the roughly rectangular bowling green, and up past the dry dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 1819 Town Plan highlighting the ropewalk running beside the dry dock<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This ropewalk lasted until the 1830s. The railway bought the land above and around the dry dock for their purposes, cutting off the northern end of the ropewalk. Then in the 1840s the council ended the trust protecting the Bowling Green and leased the land for development[iii]<\/a>, which truncated the southern end of the ropewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This area has since been changed again, redeveloping the former dry dock and surrounding area where the ropewalk was located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Modern OS Map showing the area of the former dry dock and associated ropewalk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Rope makers on the 1754 register of electors in Bridgwater<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This register listed three rope makers in Bridgwater in the 1750s:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n