History on your doorstep: how a simple photograph brought the women of Devonport ropery to life.
In the 1860s, dockyard roperies introduced rope making machines capable of producing metres at a time. Operated by women as a form of cheap labour, they saved dockyards up to £446 (approximately £55,590 today) per year.
In 2007, Devonport Naval Heritage Centre received a photograph of twelve female workers of the ropery gathered for a rare, staged portrait. Unlike any image in the collection, volunteer Bob Cook launched a curatorial investigation.
