John Buckingham (rope-maker)

Arthur Beale is a yacht-chandler on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, which stocks a wide variety of nautical equipment and accessories. The business started as the rope-maker John Buckingham by the nearby Fleet river in the 16th century and has been based in premises in Bloomsbury since then. In the 19th century, they became known as the exclusive suppliers of climbing rope to the Alpine Club. They still make and stock a large variety of ropes and lines and so also supply theatrical rigging and ornamental ropes for decoration and crowd control.

The business started as rope-maker, John Buckingham, on the Fleet river at the start of the 16th century. In the early 19th century, they had premises at number 6 in the Middle Row of St Giles—an impressive terrace in the middle of Broad Street—but had to move when this was demolished in 1843.

They then operated from premises on Shaftesbury Avenue when John Buckingham and then the new proprietor, Arthur Beale, were exclusive suppliers of climbing rope to early members of the Alpine Club. This was made to the club's specification so that it was both light and strong, being made from three strands of manila hemp, treated to be rot proof and marked with a red thread of worsted yarn. This rope was used for British expeditions to Mount Everest and Antarctica. It also supplied ice axes to polar explorer, Ernest Shackleton; the flagpole for Buckingham Palace and rigging for escapologists and the window displays of Selfridges department store.

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