A Company History

The roots of the company go back thirty years to the Dartmoor fringes. It was at the Devon Outward Bound School where the Wallwalkers first met while working as young instructors in the early 1970s. They then went their separate ways until the mid 80s when, with a mix of technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills realised that they were in an ideal position to launch a Roped Access company.


In those days there was little specialist equipment available and Wallwalkers designed gear and developed techniques that are now accepted as the industry standards. The company was originally set up between Birmingham and Coventry with early work being carried out at Coventry Cathedral, Warwick Castle and new commercial developments in the centre of both cities.
In 1993 Wallwalkers located to custom built premises on the Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire border, fifteen minutes from the M50.

Wallwalkers prides itself on being an innovative company but, at the same time, firmly recognising that service and value for money are of prime importance to our clients. We have a great depth of experience having worked on many different buildings and structures and are increasingly recognised as a market leader working on prestige heritage buildings such as The Royal Albert Hall, Salisbury Cathedral and Rievaulx Abbey.



Roped Access Rationale

It is thought by many, including a good few of our competitors, that roped access is a new, young industry that provides safe, quick, flexible and cost effective solutions to access problems.

Wallwalkers have always been aware that this is not the case at all and that so-called ‘modern methods’ are simply the ongoing development of an industry that has been around since mankind swung on jungle lianas and were able to join fibres into continuous lengths.

Wallwalkers noticed an early example of roped access is that of Duke Conan escaping from the Normans at Dol, as illustrated in the Bayeaux Tapestry.
There are many early photographs of the construction of modern New York, showing workers using ropes and Britain’s long naval tradition ensured a great body of knowledge of knots, breeches buoy, bosuns’ chairs and keel-hauling. The discovery of deathwatch beetle in the famous Westminster Hall was found during an inspection by sailors.

Wallwalkers have come across many examples of rope marks on cathedrals, abbeys and castles. During work on the historic Grand Hotel in Birmingham, evidence was found of the way workers would fix planks out through the top storey windows and used ropes to ensure their safety. The Second World War accelerated the availability of better equipment and the need for access since then, especially in the North Sea to maintain oil rigs, has led to a rapid growth in roped access.
The industry is continually evolving and is in a strong position to provide solutions to ensure that work at height can be made safe, as well as cost effective. Wallwalkers believe that this is part of an ongoing historic tradition and not some new high tech innovation. We feel that it is a vital part of ensuring that modern high standards are carefully adapted to long standing traditions of workmanship, customer care and pride in a job well done.