Red List Comment Submission

Commenting on: Rope making

Section one - About you

Name

Are you willing for your name to appear on the website as a reviewer?

Yes please
No thanks

What is your reason for contacting us?

What is your interest or experience in this craft?

Do you have any suitable images or photos to support your entry?

No I don't
Yes, please contact me about them

Please give more details of your interest or experience of this craft and any organisations, guilds or associations that you are representing.

Section two - Description of the craft

Are you commenting on an existing craft?

If you are commenting on an existing craft, please select it here and skip the next two questions

You are suggesting a new craft that is not already featured on the Red List

Please enter the name of the craft you would like us to add here.

Craft category

If this is a new craft type please select the most suitable category

Please give a definition of the craft in one or two sentences.

Where in the world is the craft historically associated?

Please identify country, region, county or town

Where in the UK is the craft currently practised?

Please identify country, region, county or town

When was the craft first practised in the UK?

Please identify an era/century/approximate historic period.

How endangered would you say this craft is?

Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. For more information on definitions see http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/categories-of-risk/

Currently Viable (are in a healthy state and skills are being passed to the next generation)
Endangered (skills can be passed on but there are serious concerns about their ongoing viability)
Critically Endangered (there is serious risk that skills won't be passed on)
Extinct ( ‘extirpated’ or ‘locally extinct’ in the UK)

Section three - Current numbers of those practising the craft in the UK

Number of professional makers (main income)

People earning their main craft income from this craft (selling, commissions, conservation/ restoration and/or teaching).

Number of professional makers (part-time or side line to main income)

People practicing this craft commercially (selling, commissions, conservation/restoration and/or teaching) but as less than half of their income.

Number of trainees

People acquiring skills in order to become a professional in this craft, they probably have to work under supervision even if they are earning money while training.

Number of serious amateur makers

People whose knowledge and ability is at a level of the most skilled practitioners of this craft.

Number of UK leisure makers and learners

People who do not intend to practice this craft professionally or at the highest level.

Section four - Issues affecting the viability of the craft

Existing content:

Supply of raw materials: The availability and cost of yarn has a significant impact on a competitive business market where it is essential to buy good quality yarns. Materials are imported so the prices vary. Natural fibres suffer from harvest fluctuations; synthetic fibres depend on oil prices. While wool is currently fairly readily available, getting good quality flax and hemp yarn is a challenge.
Market issues: Mass production of ropes keeps the product market prices of rope very low and competitive on an international level. It’s not commercially viable to make rope on a traditional rope walk.
Market issues (Church Bell Ropes): It is very hard to make a profit out of church bell rope making but there is a need and there is a very small global market. With the decline of the church attendence, a lot of bells are falling silent and demand for church bell ropes is also dwindling. Even when churches have been repurposed, they usually retain their bells which are still rung occasionally and therefore require ropes.
Diversification: Diversification of products and services, such as becoming a tourist attraction, has helped businesses to survive
Skills issues: The practical skills involved in general rope making are very simple – it is possible to learn the basic skills in a day and become reasonably competent in a week. However, it takes much longer to learn the ins and outs, what works and what doesn’t for each context, and to learn the details of the products and understand the types of yarn to use etc.
Skills issues: The practical skills involved in church bell rope making take a while to master and get the standard right so that the rope will last for many years and meet the quality expectations.
Availability of tools and equipment: The machinery used to make church bell ropes is not commonly available. It has to be manufactured bespoke for the purpose. Trying to get into doing it, or expanding is very very time consuming and costly as everything needs to be made bespoke and not off of the shelf.
Lack of support for the sector: There are no support organisations promoting the craft of bell rope making – if there was, it would mean more people would start up reducing the demand for the companies already making products – it isn’t something I would encourage. I would encourage the organisations to promote the ringing and training people to ring church bells as it provides a customer base for future generations.
Space and building issues: Requiring a long thin building to house a rope walk is not commonly available today as any long building also has width which isn’t needed.

Training and recruitment issues

e.g. lack of qualifications, funding for training etc.

Tick for yes