Master Ropemakers Office (S 97 And 98)

The Master Ropemaker's Office, built around 1816 and later extended around 1868, is located in Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth. Originally serving as an office for the Master Ropemaker, it has also functioned as an engine house and a school, but is now disused. The building is constructed from Plymouth limestone, with the 1816 section made of rubble and the 1868 extension featuring squared and coursed stone with ashlar dressings, cast-iron columns, and a slate roof.

The exterior is three stories high and has a three-by-three window arrangement. The parapeted range includes a cornice, with the earlier southern section displaying round-arched windows on the first floor and flat-arched windows on the second floor, all fitted with 3/3-pane sashes. Similar window styles are found on the pedimented right-hand return, above outer segmental-arched doorways. There is also a rear external stair from the early 19th century, which has a cover added around 1939. The right-hand bay projects on tall iron Tuscan columns, leading to an entablature and a stone top section that includes a flat-arched second-floor window and a segmental-arched former doorway in the return. The left-hand section mirrors these openings, with two on the first floor. A truncated chimney from 1868 is located on the northeast side and features a cornice.

The interior has not been inspected. Historically, the double-height office was built concurrently with the rebuilding of the ropery by Holl. It was later adapted into a machine room for rope-making machinery, complete with an underground drive shaft and a bridge connecting the projecting bay to the rope walk. After 1945, the upper dining room was repurposed as a school. This building is part of a significant rope-making complex that includes the Spinning House, Hemp House, and other Ropeyard buildings.