OLD DEVONPORT . UK
www.olddevonport.uk
 

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth
Webpage created: July 13, 2019
Webpage updated: November 12, 2022

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ROYAL DOCKYARD  |  SOUTH YARD

WEST ROPE HOUSE

Site of the West Ropery, South Yard.

Site of the West Rope House, South Yard.
©  Property Services Agency, Department of the Environment.

The remains of the Laying House of the West Rope House have Ancient Monument status under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, as amended, and National Heritage state that the reason for the designation is: 'The production of ropes and sails were a fundamental industry connected with ports since they were crucial to both naval and merchant shipping.  Despite its partial destruction through bombing the surviving part of the laying house of the West Ropery, South Yard, Devonport Dockyard with its cellared storage is an integral part of this whole specialised process, and enough survives to appreciate the uniqueness of the process of producing a lengthy, slender, specialised, fibrous product.'

Following the disastrous fire at the original Ropery in 1761, it was replaced by two buildings running south to north alongside the Dockyard Wall: the Spinning House and the Laying House.  In 1815, following the destruction by fire of the Spinning House, the rebuilt fire-proof version became the East Rope House (S132) while the Laying House became the West Rope House.  The latter was linked by bridges to Hemp Store Number 20, Hemp Store  Number 22 and the Old Metal Pound.

The West Rope House was destroyed in 1941 by enemy bombing, which left only the foundations and the original cellars that had previously been used to store tar.