Theme 5

Retelling the

Story of Barton Ropery

Designing Your Own Exhibition

KS2 History and Literacy

Creating an Exhibition- Teaching Notes This theme involves putting together an

exhibition about the ropery, focusing on the

buildings, the workers or the process of rope

making. Each story is structured around four

sources. The initial planning involves selecting

and then organising objects, pictures, sounds

and documents into a sequence so they tell the

story. This should encourage those who find

writing difficult to create a structure for their

writing.

Introduction: Why tell people about the

history of the rope factory?

Pupils could work in pairs or groups to think

about the purpose of exhibitions. Who might be

the audience for their exhibition? What will

people be most interested in?

Stage 1: Looking at the objects

Give pupils one of the three object sheets. This

will be the first object in their exhibition. Discuss

what each object is and how it might be used to

tell a story. Decide which story it fits into best.

Stage 2: Choose an introduction

Pupils should choose which introduction best fits

their story. Or they could be encouraged to

write their own using these only as examples.

Stages 3 and 4: Finding out more to help

select more objects for display

Pupils can look on the Ropewalk website to find

background information for their story.

Alternatively this information can be printed out.

They should then be able to select three more

pieces of evidence from the “store room” which

will help to tell their story. These are available

online or within this pack. There are more than

four objects that can be used for each story;

pupils should decide which they think are most

useful. Some objects may be used in different

ways to tell different stories.

Stages 5, 6 and 7: Planning and writing the

exhibition

Pupils will need to decide the order they will place

their objects in. Give each pupil a planning sheet

for them to fill in why each object is important in

telling their story.

Stage 8: Presenting the exhibitions

The outline worksheet of a gallery display board

and display cabinet can be used to present the

displays. The objects can be printed out or drawn

and placed into the display cabinet on the lower

half of the sheet. The story can be written on the

display board on the upper half of the sheet.

You could develop the activity further by helping

pupils to present their exhibitions creatively using

the resources available. For example by creating a

PowerPoint display with links to the sound clips,

presenting the exhibition as a website or making

guide books.

Alternatively, a whole class exhibition could be

created in the classroom using photographs and

collected objects or models of objects

representing each stage of rope making.

Follow this website link to the Ropewalk Heritage

Store:

http://www.the-

ropewalk.co.uk/objects_in_the_store_room.pdf

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Why is it important to tell people about the

history of the rope factory?

Curators work in museums creating exhibitions. They organise

the objects, pictures and sound recordings and use them to tell

visitors a story about what happened in the past.

Look at the following reasons for preserving the past and

creating an exhibition. With a partner decide which you think

are the two most important reasons. Use the last two boxes to

write in reasons of your own.

People want to remember their own or their family’s history.

Museums allow people to find out about how things were different

in the past.

Museums help us understand why things are the way they are

today.

Museums attract tourists to the town.

It can be interesting to find out about the past.

The rope factory is an important part of the history of the town.

Stage 1 Looking at the objects

There are many different stories about Barton rope factory. The job

of the curator is to select objects and use them to tell a story.

Which of these stories does your object fit into best?

1. The story of rope making at the rope factory.

2. The story of the workers at the rope factory.

3. The story of the rope factory buildings.

This is a portrait of John Hall. John’s family were rich ship owners who

lived in Hull. John was the first owner of the rope factory. His initials

are on the despatch building that he built in 1807.

Stage 1 Looking at the objects

There are many different stories about Barton rope factory.

The job of the curator is to select objects and use them to tell a story.

Which of these stories does your object fit into best?

1. The story of rope making at the rope factory.

2. The story of the workers at the rope factory.

3. The story of the rope factory buildings.

This is the rope factory buzzer. It sounded at 7:25 every morning to

tell the workers it was time to come to the factory to begin work. It

could be heard all across Barton and beyond. It was originally powered

by steam and later by compressed air.

Stage 1 Looking at the objects

There are many different stories about Barton rope factory.

The job of the curator is to select objects and use them to tell a story.

Which of these stories does your object fit into best?

1. The story of rope making at the rope factory.

2. The story of the workers at the rope factory.

3. The story of the rope factory buildings.

This is a top. It was used to make rope at Barton rope factory. Rope

was made by twisting three strands together. The three strands fitted

into the three grooves on the top. The top turned as the strands

twisted together and it was pushed along the rope walk. A metal rod

was inserted through the hole halfway down to use as a handle.

Stage 2 Choose an introduction

Choose the text for your introduction which fits your display best.

Introduction

Barton rope factory was built in 1803 by the Hall family. In 1989, the

factory closed, ending almost 200 years of rope making on the site.

The long building called the ropewalk has been converted into an arts

centre. This display tells the story of the ropewalk and the factory

buildings.

Introduction

The factory employed skilled rope makers and spinners as well as

machine operators to work in the factory. They worked long hours,

sometimes with dangerous machinery. This display tells the story of

the workers and how the conditions in the factory changed.

Introduction

There is a long history of rope making in Barton. The stages in the

process remained the same. However, with new technology some of

the tasks done by hand were replaced by machines. This display tells

the story of how rope was made in Barton.

Designing Your Own Exhibition

Stage 3 Find out more

You need to research the topic of your exhibition. Read the information

sheet to find out more about the object and the story it helps to tell.

Stage 4 Selecting more evidence

You need to choose three more pieces of evidence to include in your

exhibition to help you to tell this story.

Have a look in the “Store Room” for more objects at the website:

http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/objects_in_the_store_room.pdf

Choose 3 more objects (they might be pictures or sound clips) that you

think will be most useful in telling this story.

Stage 5 Deciding how to tell the story

Decide which order you will place the objects in the display.

Once you are happy with the order, draw them in your story board grid.

Stage 6 Writing your display

You need to write the text to go with the objects. This could be a caption

(a few words) for each object. Or it may be a longer explanation in

paragraphs. Think about who will see your exhibition. What will interest

them most?

Stage 7 Decide on a title for your exhibition

You need to think of a title that will attract visitors to look at the display.

Stage 8 How will you present your exhibition?

A wall display, a PowerPoint presentation, on a website, in a guidebook.

Objects in the Store Room

Top

The top was used to keep the strands apart when making rope. The three grooves were for the three strands and the hole through the middle was for a metal rod to carry it and to attach it to a cart.

Bobbin

Bobbins were used on spinning machines which spun the fibres into yarn before it was made into rope.

Buzzer

The buzzer sounded each morning and each evening to tell the workers when to begin and end work. It could be heard five miles away from the factory.

Hatchel

The hatchel was a wooden board with long metal spikes. The fibres were pulled across the board, combing and straightening them before they could be spun into yarn.

Portrait of John Hall

John Hall was the first owner of the factory. He built the despatch building in 1807 and had introduced steam power to the factory by 1850.

Pantile

Tile making was an important industry in Barton. The ropewalk and despatch building, like many other local buildings, have pantiled roofs made from local tiles.

Newspaper article

Article from a local newspaper in 1858. The rope factory was often a dangerous place to work; two workers were caught in the drive belts in the spinning mill.

Photograph of despatch building

The despatch building was built in 1807 following a fire in 1806. The hoist on the outside was used to load boats and lorries. It was converted into a health spa in 2007.

Photograph of Art Centre sign

The sign for the Ropewalk Arts Centre on the end of the ropewalk building. The Arts Centre opened in 2000.

“Two accidents at Mr Hall’s ropery in Barton” (1858)

Photograph of the Ropewalk

The ropewalk building is 400metres long. The original ropewalk was built here in 1803 but was destroyed by a flood in 1921. It was rebuilt in 1922.

Photograph of the rope factory in 1940s

The photograph shows the foot bridge to the rope factory as well as the ropery house on the right. It was possible at this time for boats to use the Haven to transport ropes.

Photograph of women workers in the 1940s

By the 1940s, most of the factory workers were women who worked in the spinning and rope mills, operating the machines.

Spinning engraving

Before spinning machines, fibres were spun into yarn by hand on big wheels called spinning frames. This French engraving from 1862 shows a hand spinner. It was a difficult job making sure the yarn was even and the correct thickness.

Photograph of rope mill

This picture of the rope mill shows some of the old belt driven machinery without guards on it. The moving belts could be very dangerous.

Rope-maker engraving

This French engraving from 1862 shows a rope maker. He is using a top to keep the strands apart before they are twisted into rope.

Voice “Women workers”

Madge Audsley remembers the impact the Second World War had on work at the factory.

Voice “Closure”

Ken Osgerby describes how it felt when the factory

closed.

Voice “Dangers”

Madge Audsley describes some of the dangers for workers in the mills.

“There was a sadness with the people that’d worked here. We were working up to the end. I think it was a bit of a blow to this end of the town. It was all part of the life and culture.”

“You didn’t stop your machines to put a fresh bobbin up, the twine might get around your finger and if it was going it would take your finger end off.”

“Before the war, they never employed a married woman unless she was a widow, but during the war, they were pleased to employ married ladies.”

Deciding how to tell the story

Draw your objects in the first column of the table. For each

object, describe what it is and then explain why it is important

to for telling the story of .

Object Describe it. Why is it important?

Created by

Introduction:

Title:

What have you learnt about Halls Barton Ropery?

Dangers in the factory

Buildings

Location

Workers

Rope making