the industrial revolution which also affected the Van der Lee family. Although Adrianus van der Lee (1787–1856) called himself a manufacturer, he was in fact a traditional rope maker. It was his son Gijsbert (1819–1903) who pulled the business into the modern world. In 1880, Gijsbert van der Lee made the brave decision to introduce steam engines into the rope production. He bought an elongated piece of land in the Hekendorp polder just outside Oudewater where the new steam ropery was to be built. In 1886, Gijsbert van der Lee, as stated in the permit issued by the Municipality of Hekendorp, commissioned the construction of a stone and iron building ‘with a kettle to melt the tar needed for tarring the ropes manufactured in the steam ropery’. This led to fierce protests from neighbours. At the turn of the century, a mechanised spinning mill was built next to the steam ropery. On 28 December 1903, the founder of the modern rope factory, Gijsbert van der Lee, died at the age of 84 at his villa ‘Klein Hekendorp’ opposite the factory on the IJsseldijk. Gijsbert’s sons Adrianus and Cornelis Gijsbertus followed in their father’s footsteps and turned the ropery into a general partnership named G. van der Lee. 1919-1938 On 1 July 1919, Cornelis Gijsbertus left the company and G. van der Lee was passed on to his brother Adrianus (1854–1920) and his son Gijsbert (1883–1966). After Adrianus van der Lee’s death on 13 May 1920, a difficult time started for Gijsbert van der Lee. As part owner of the company, he had to share authority with his three brothers Klaas, Jan and Piet, his sister Marretje, his brother-in-law Arie Beijen and his mother Christina Vriesman. Gijsbert van der Lee bought out his family in 1936, on the condition that Gijsbert’s brother Piet Van der Lee became the director of the Old Ropery in Vlaardingen. During this period, the way business was done started to change and the first lorry was bought to transport the ropes. 1960-2013 In 1960, Wim van der Lee and his manager made old and new rope-making technologies meet. They designed large braiding machines that could manufacture heavy hawsers for the shipping and off-shore industries. The ropes for these hawsers were twisted on the old ropewalk. The industry was faced with a major challenge in 1965 when the first synthetic yarn hit the markets which had many