Old ropes for monkeys at Drusillas Park

The Theatre Royal in Brighton has replaced 2,000 metres of hemp rigging - with the old ropes being snapped up by the monkey enclosures at Drusillas Park in East Sussex.

The 208-year-old theatre is one of only five remaining 'hemp houses' in the country using the ropes to move scenery on and off stage. Most other venues shift scenery by a counterweighted flying system, rather than the pure pulling power required by hemp ropes.

The hemp ropes, made from entirely natural material, are replaced approximately every decade.