February 15, 2026
Tying knots, sparking plots
Frost Bros, Rope Makers and Yarn Spinners
From hemp to Cable Street lore—commenters tug at history
TLDR: Historic photos show Frost Brothers’ rope-making powering East End life and even naming Cable Street. Commenters split between proud nostalgia for craftsmanship and sharp critiques of harsh labor and gender roles, with jokes about hemp and tech cables making the history feel surprisingly current.
Old photos of Frost Brothers—East End rope royals from 1790—just dropped, and the comment section went full tug-of-war. Nostalgic locals are romanticizing the grit: “We used to make things that mattered!” Others clap back: grueling 10.5‑hour days weren’t exactly a vibe, especially with women shown feeding Manila hemp (from the Philippines) into spreading machines while men fronted the glory. That gender split sparked heat, with some cheering the hidden heroines and others insisting it was just “how industry worked then.”
History nerds flexed hard: six rope grounds, each 400 yards long, cranking out 18 tons of rope a day; monster machines twisting rope up to 48 cm around; a moody Boiler House that gave steampunk fans goosebumps. When folks learned Cable Street got its name from rope-making—not tech cables—commenters lost it, cue the “Wi‑Fi Street” memes. A few cynics called the merger into British Ropes in 1926 “the start of the bland era,” while others praised efficiency. The phrase “yarn spinners” fueled jokes about grandads and subreddit mods, and the word hemp triggered comic confusion (“No, not that kind”). The Bishopsgate Institute got love for keeping the receipts, with threads asking what other lost crafts—like the Caslon Letter Foundry—we’ve forgotten.
Key Points
- •Frost Brothers Ltd was founded by John James Frost in 1790 and located at 340/342 Commercial Road in the East End.
- •The company was managed by the founder’s grandson, also John James Frost, in 1905 when the photographs were taken.
- •In 1926, Frost Brothers Ltd was amalgamated into British Ropes, reflecting industry consolidation.
- •Production processes included spinning Manila hemp from the Philippines using spreading machines, with capacity for 120 bales per day.
- •Facilities featured six 400-yard rope grounds producing up to 18 tons of rope in a 10.5-hour day, large machines making rope up to 48 cm in circumference, and a boiler house.