Building record MWX184 - James Edwards' (later Ewens and Turner) Factory, 40 St Michael's Lane, Bridport

The twine, net and sailcloth factory at 40 St Michael’s Lane appears to be one of the first ‘factories’ in St Michael’s Lane with a stone warehouse and counting house on the street frontage and the heckling and weaving sheds, twine store and ropewalks behind. It was first run by James Edwards, before passing to Ewens and Turner, eventually becoming part of William Gale and Sons works. A number of the buildings including the warehouse, a two-storey covered ropewalk and the twine store still survive.

The first ‘factory in the St Michael’s Lane area appears to be that of James Edwards at 40 St Michael’s Lane. The stone building on the street frontage was used as a warehouse and counting house in 1836. <2>

It was taken over by Ewens and Turner in the 1870s and new heckling and weaving sheds were built behind the stone warehouse by 1886 <3>. It was used for the manufacture of rope, line, twine, shoethread, nets, fishing nets, sporting nets, sailcloth and tarpaulins <4>. In 1918, it passed to Hounsells (Bridport) Ltd, who sold it to William Gale and Son in 1925 <2-3>. Production ceased in the mid-1960s following the formation of Bridport Gundry in 1963.

The stone warehouse still survives and is one of the best-preserved early buildings in this area. It is a three-storied building of five bays, upper two storeys with windows in alternate bays and a through-passage in the south end bay. A narrow two-storeyed mid-19th century red brick extension is attached to the rear (west) elevation and may have housed the machinery at the head of the former open rope walks, which ran westwards back from the warehouse to the river. The long alley to the rear of the warehouse is the remains of a former open walk. A two-storeyed late 19th century covered walk (the best preserved 19th-century walk building in Bridport) lies on its northern side. To the south is a north-light shed built in the 1920s on the site of another former walk. A twine store still survives at the western end of these buildings. <5>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Various, Ordnance Survey Map 1:500, DORSET SHEET XXXVIII.10.6, SURVEYED 1887, PUBLISHED 1888 (Map). SWX1328.

<2> Sims, R, 2006, The Rope, Net and Twine Industry of Bridport. 2) Factory Mills (Monograph). SDO10541.

<3> Bone, M R, 1985, 'The Bridport Flax and Hemp Industry' Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society Journal, 25-26 (Article in serial). SWX1452.

<4> Bone, M R, 1981, 'Bridport Textile Industry 1814-1945' Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries, 149 (Article in serial). SDO10528.

<5> Williams, M, 2006, Bridport and West Bay. The buildings of the flax and hemp industry, 41-42 (Monograph). SDO10498.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/063 South West Textile Mills Project (Unpublished document). SDO17323.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1305070 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 19 2022 3:32PM