A basic industry for any area with pretensions to call itself ‘Maritime’, or even Riverside, is the manufacture of rope. Rope had a major role to play in shipping and, obviously, sailing ships needed very large quantities of it. A few years ago the late John Yeardley wrote an article on the history of the Charlton rope works which I put on the Greenwich Industrial History blog. John was the last manager of what became the Bridon Rope works in Anchor and Hope Lane in Charlton. The article covers much of the early days of the site and the Company’s early days in Wapping. https://greenwichindustrialhistory.blogspot.com/2016/11/history-of-charlton-ropeworks-by-john.html
I also did an article for Weekender in June 2020 about the Rope works on the Greenwich Peninsula on what became the Enderby site. Before the Enderbys moved there the works was beset by scandals but it, had probably originated with staff connected to the great government Rope Works in Woolwich. https://issuu.com/southwark.news/docs/glw163s
However, recently I have been given a typescript ms about the history of Frost Brothers Rope Works in Wapping and Charlton by D.R.Frost, who is, or was, a family member. If D.R.Frost is still around please get in touch. I intend to give this MS to the Bishopsgate Institute who already has a collection on the Company. I am sorry if I am repeating some of the information in John's earlier article. I am also aware that there was a different earlier rope works in Charlton but on a different site.
In the early 18th and 19th century there were many Rope works in the East End of London. One of these is shown in 1703 running between Cable Street and Commercial Road – then Sun Tavern Fields. I am sorry if I am repeating some of the information in John's earlier article. In 1819 one of these rope works had a steam engine at work supplied by Birmingham based Boulton and Watt. Anyone who has read my book ‘The Early East London Gas Industry’ will have seen that one gas works began in a rope works in Tavern Fields. This was almost certainly the rope works which became Frosts and the gas making plant may well have come as part of a package with the steam engine.
The Rope works in Cable Street was known as ‘Frost Brothers’ from the 1850s. It prospered and grew throughout the remaining part of the 19th century. In 1912 they were approached by the North German Lloyd shipping line for a huge amount of rope which was more than the Wapping works could handle. So James Frost, the managing director, decided on a new works. He found the site in Charlton in 1913, bought it for £20,000, and set up the Charlton Rope Works Ltd
The new factory was equipped with the latest machinery for fibre processing. It was designed to produce 9000 tonnes of rope and 3000 tonnes of twine a year – more than double the output of Frost Brothers works in Wapping. But only one third was ever built - James Frost had designed it for 18 ropewalks but 12 were enough.
A foundation stone was laid on the 9th November 1914 and production began in 1915. But then the War Office commandeered this building and used it to store aircraft parts until 1920. However it was still possible to spin yarn for Frost brothers and other London rope makers in Charlton. The works continued under the direction of James Frost and production exceeded expectation.
Although there were problems with the new Charlton site, they were said to b producing 25% of UK rope. It had not been easy to predict wartime conditions in 1914 or to realise long wartime conditions would continue. After the war demand declined and it was decided to change and spin binder twine at Charlton. Frosts had no experience in this and it was poor quality, leaving them with 1000 tonnes of unsalable stock – although it was eventually sold to Russia.
There was another problem when in 1921 they were hit by a major fire in a jut store. ‘A district call was issued and in a very short time there were over a dozen fire brigades working on the flames’. Eventually ‘the flames were got under control, and the premises were absolutely gutted’. It was thought that the fire was started by the heat of the mid-July day which had ‘ignited the jute’. The fire however proved a setback in extending and modernising the premises. Business declined as less rope was used in shipping and companies decided to combine with others to get economies of scale. In 1925 Frosts, joined a group of wire rope companies to set up ‘British Ropes Ltd’
More cheerfully we have a report of a visit to the works in May 1928 by the Greenwich Rotary Club. Mr Frost himself gave a talk to thr Greenwich Rotarians while they gave him lunch. Afterwards he took a party over the works where they were ‘privileged to inspect the whole process of rope manufacture … which proved most fascinating. It would, they said, become one of the principal industries of the Borough.
Other rope making companies were taken over and were consolidated at the Charlton site which was expanded to include their output. They included the London based J.T. Davis, and Falmouth based John Stevens and in 1966 the old Edinburgh Ropery and Sailcloth Company factory in Leith, in 1960. In 1967 they took over the London Spinning Company and the offshore oil business of Samson Cordage of Boston Massachusetts in 1988.
Their Thameside jetty was used to unload bales of sisal from East Africa and manila from The Philippines. An internal railway ran from the jetty to the hemp store. Is this jetty still there? There are a number of jetties in this area and I would welcome being told which is which. My understanding is that their jetty will have been near the river end of the Glenton Railway which runs along the eastern boundary of this site. What I saw of the site after closure was a network of many short rail lines but the locomotive were eventually replaced by motor tractors and from the 1970’s the jetty was disused because lorries were cheaper.
From the jetty the fibre was taken to be combed and spun into rope yarn and was then transferred to the ropewalk to be formed into strands. It was wound into coils on a coiling bank before being moved into the store. The finished product would then leave the premises through the main gate into Anchor and Hope Lane.
Many more buildings were added over the years as the site expanded. Modern, efficient, and compact rope making machines gradually replaced the ropewalk which closed in 1980. Synthetic fibres brought about many changes. Ropes and braids in a variety of colours - khaki for the army and royal blue for the royal yacht Britannia – led to dye house being added. Mechanical testing became more and more important and physical and chemical laboratories were established.
At sea a need developed for large diameter plaited ropes and the machines to make these were installed in the 1960’s. They were followed by huge braiding machines capable of producing ropes up to 240mm in diameter for the offshore oil industry with breaking strengths up to 1200 tonnes. Nylon fibre was used to make parachute cords, and high strength ropes used as glider tow ropes and ropes incorporating communication cables for submarines. They also made huge nets to allow damaged aircraft to land on airfields and aircraft carriers. There were many new products from mountaineering ropes to industrial webbing slings.
Sadly, land values in the area shot up as development was pursued after 2000 and the factory closed. The site has been a trading estate ever since. But Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society members have photographed much of it. Locally there is a reminder by decorative motifs on the wall in Woolwich Road,
The main relic of the club is their still active football team. They play up at the Meridian Sports field next to the Queen Elisabeth Hospital. They are looking for new players. Check them out at https://www.bridonropesfc.co
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