Stoddart and Company's Ropery, Saltmeadows

A ropery is clearly shown on Oliver's 1830 map. It later becomes the site of a soap factory. This was established by Stoddart and Co in 1795 and was soon owned solely by a former partner Anthony Hood. In 1799 Hood introduced a rope-making machine, which had been patented by William Chapman in 1798. This technological innovation eventually superceded the earlier ropewalks and marked the beginning of the growth of ropemaking in Gateshead.