Bridport is a very unique and fascinating town in the county of Dorset and walking through the town is like walking through a living, breathing trivia book. Originally known for making some of the finest rope in England, Bridport rose to prominence in quite a seedy way: The town became well-known for making nooses for hangmen and many, many criminals who were executed by hanging have Bridport to thank for the material that would spell their doom. Hangman's ropes were such a large part of Bridport's early economy that a popular saying arose that was connected to the town. Whenever someone was said to have been "stabbed with a Bridport dagger" it entailed that they were hung to death with the help of the superior rope made in town.

Bridport was also a small fishing town during these days and the money made from selling their fresh catches further bolstered the blood money from the nooses. Bridport Harbour may not have been the most lucrative harbor in the country but its placement on the river Brid combined with the humble beauty of the piers made the Harbour one of the most scenic and beautiful. Bridport Harbour can still be seen today, but it has changed its name to less eponymous "West Bay". Regardless, the beauty of this area is still as stately as ever and thus it has been featured in many motion pictures including The Navy Lark and The Life and Times of Reginald Perrin.

These days, Bridport relies on neither fishing nor rope making for its economy and instead houses some fascinating new technology including aviation mechanics and breweries. The old spirit of Bridport, however, is still evident if you look in the right places: though the old noose-making days of the original Bridport are long past, the rope weaving history of the town simply can't be held down. Bridport still makes ropes but the rope in question is not for the purposes of execution and instead dedicated to the world of sports. Sure enough, Bridport is well known for crafting many of the football goal nets for the entire continent of Europe. Football, or Soccer as it is known in the United States, is of course the most popular sport in the world and most experts agree that the goal nets made for the sport throughout the continent are almost exclusively manufactured in Bridport. In the old days one might say that a hanging victim was stabbed with a Bridport Dagger but these days it would be appropriate to say that one country beat another country in the World Cup because they managed to breach the Bridgport basket. It is truly refreshing, though, to know that the town still maintains at least a trace amount of its original identity. Bridport may not depend solely on rope as it did in the old days but there is still a dependence of some sort on rope that keeps Bridport in the social consciousness and this is truly a remarkable fact considering many centuries have passed since the days of hanging. One might even go so far as to say that Bridport's rope economy is still "hanging around".

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