History of  Bideford rope-walk

From the above photograph, most readers will immediately recognize the Strand, but fewer will recall the wooden posts which formed part of the extension to ‘Rope’ Walk which ran from the foreground of the picture back past the bottom of Chingswell Street, across the bottom of Willett Street to the Quay end of Bridgeland Street.

The ancient and principal ropewalk in Bideford was owned from very early times by the Wren family and later was acquired by Mr H.M. Restarick. It extended from the bottom of Bridgeland Street to the farther end of the strand, and was covered by a slight roof for a distance of about 160 yards, measuring from the Bridgeland Street end, where the machine, which was worked by hand, was placed.

Gazette article 10 February 194