Every rope tells the story of the hands that made it, the fibre from which it came, and the purpose to which it will be put. We know no other way.
We work only with natural fibres — manila, sisal, hemp, jute, and linen — because synthetic cord lies to the hands. It says it is strong when it is not, and strong when it should yield.
Our rope walks have not changed since 1887. The human hand reads tension in a way no sensor can replicate. We test every metre by feel before it leaves Devon.
We make no stock. Every coil we produce is made to a specific commission. The buyer, the purpose, and the maker are known before a single strand is laid.
Cordage & Co. operates from a Victorian rope walk on the Devon coast — a long, low building designed specifically for the geometry of rope-making, where strands must run in straight lines for hundreds of feet. The original machinery from 1887 is still in daily use.
"To visit Cordage & Co. is to step into a process that has not changed since before your grandfather was born. And it is perfect."Visit the Walk
A conversation about purpose, load, environment, and aesthetic intention
Choosing from our seven natural fibres based on use, feel, and longevity
Strands twisted under constant observation on our Victorian rope walk
Every metre tested by a master rope-maker before finishing
Delivered wound on oak reels with a handwritten commission certificate
When Thomas Holt Cordage founded this workshop in 1887, rope was the critical technology of the age — it rigged the ships, bound the bales, and held the buildings of empire together. His great-great-granddaughter now leads the same workshop, with the same philosophy and, in many respects, the same tools.
We are not a heritage attraction. We are a working workshop. The ropes we make today will hold fast for another century.
Our Full History