Henry Cowls - Britain's last true Netmaker
In 1889, Henry Cowls began to produce nets for the huge fishing industry on the Cornish Lizard Peninsular. Renowned for his skill and quality of netting, he saw an increase in demand from the horticultural sector, as it became fashionable to grow exotic fruits in the UK. In fact, in the early 1900s, Henry’s customer list read like a who’s who of landed gentry.
Our products
With a mid-century decline in UK fishing, we transferred all our net-making knowledge and skills to the horticultural sector and other applications. We have continued to refine our design in order to create a functional, adaptable and practical range of fruit cages.
Our factory
Just under a century after Henry first set up his trade, we outgrew our premises in Porthleven. With strong Cornish roots, we moved five miles up the road to a purpose-built factory in Helston. From here, we still make all our knotted nets in the traditional way, but on rather more modern machinery.
