Stair rope with eye splice and turks head whipping from Stairropes.com, makers of stair and bannister rope, rope handrails and barrier ropes in the UK.
StairRopes.com
Made to measure in the U.K. Shipped Worldwide.

Barrier ropes & Decorative Rope Railings

barrier rope in hemp with chrome fittings

We make premium barrier ropes and decorative rope railings to measure, using top quality ropes and traditional sailmaker's whippings at each rope fitting end to ensure longevity.

Used to create a temporary or decorative rope barrier, 24mm or 32mm diameter ropes can be ordered in any length and are typically assembled with open hooks fitted on each end and matching eye plates supplied.

End hooks can be attached to eye plates for fixing on to a wall, or directly hooked on to free standing posts. We can also assemble barrier ropes using custom made wrought iron fittings and eye spliced ends. Scroll down to see some of the custom barrier ropes we have made and images of the method we use to attach the hooks to the fitting end of the ropes.

High grade Ropes suitable for barrier ropes include the four strand, hard laid natural fibre ropes in hemp, unbleached or black cotton and synthetic POSH in beige (hemp alternative) and in a mid green. We also stock good quality three strand polyester ropes in navy and black.

Wound ropes make beautiful decorative barrier ropes and rope room dividers. We hand make these ropes using a traditional technique known as "worming" and incorporate different diameter strands and colours to produce a multi layer twisted rope.

Barrier ropes look good with a slight droop or curve. If you give us the distance to be spanned, we can set the rope accordingly; a piece of string set across the gap will give a good idea of how a barrier rope will hang, and can be used as a measure to specify a drop that would suit.

Rope end whippings

The strongest method possible for making a fitting on a barrier rope secure - and one which will ensure a long life, uses a traditional sailmakers palm and needle whipping to secure the end of the rope before attaching the fittings.

barrier rope in dark P.O.S.H. with brass fitiings

Shown below is the process we use to attach a hook end fitting to the end of a barrier rope. The same method is used to fix end caps to barrier ropes. The retaining screw that secures the fitting to the end of the barrier rope bears up against a strong sailmaker's palm and needle whipping on the end of the rope. The whipping will be hidden from view by the collar of the fitting.

We have replaced many fittings on barrier ropes where the screw has worn through taped or heat treated (melted) ends and inferior whippings.

whipping the end of a barrier rope 1

using the sailmaker's palm

whipping the end of a barrier rope 2

pulling through

whipped end of barrier rope

finished whipping

barrier rope whipping ready for fitting

finished whipping, trimmed

barrier rope fitting showing pin

fitting showing pin

barrier rope ready to fit

whipped rope ready for fitting

Barrier rope fittings

Our solid brass fittings are suitable for 24mm and 32mm ropes and are available in various finishes: polished brass and antique brass, mirror or satin chrome, black and gunmetal.

barrier rope hook end fitting in chrome finish

Four screws and wall plugs are provided for each eye plate.
End caps (without hooks) may be used for decorative rope installations. A brass end cap is shown in the image below.

End caps for barrier ropes are available for all our 24mm and 32mm diameter ropes and come fitted as above, using the secure sailmakers palm and needle whipping.

barrier rope brass cap

Barrier Ropes should not be used for support such as on a staircase. For a rope to bear weight, a knot or splice needs to be tied in at each end, using the strands of the same rope. Our Knots page shows examples of secure rope endings for stair and bannister ropes.

Barrier ropes - Fittings prices

24mm diameter ropes

  • Open hook fitted - £33.00
  • Eye plate (inc. plugs and screws) - £8.00
  • End cap fitted - £30.00

32mm Stair ropes

  • Open hook fitted - £38.00
  • Eye plate (inc. plugs and screws) - £8.00
  • End cap fitted - £33.00

∗ Complete Stair ropes price list on the order page

Custom made barrier ropes

red barrier rope

Custom made wrought iron fittings, individually sourced materials and our specialised ropes and knots know-how can provide solutions for special installations and decorative barrier rope projects.

On the right is a custom made barrier rope which was supplied to rope off the top of a stairway; it was designed to be strong enough to bear weight and still be removable. The open hook wall fittings for this project were constructed in mild steel (wrought iron) and have a gun-metal finish. The polyester high grade POSH rope has an eyesplice decorated with a traditional sailor's Turks head whipping at each end.

Shown below is a barrier rope in cotton fibre rope, commissioned with specially sourced steel hardware and a magnet on one end - and designed to attach to a sheet steel partition wall.

custom made cotton barrier rope with stainless steel fittings and magnetic attachment

Custom barrier rope with magnetic attachment.

Contact Stair Ropes.com

For more advice or information about our bannister ropes and hand rails, you can contact James Watson directly. Full details on our contact page.



All content on this website is © (copyright) 1994-2024 - StairRopes.com and Stonk Knots, unless otherwise stated.
Web site design and photography by