"Martin C" wrote in message
...
We have 2 climbing roses (Handel and Spanish Beauty) which
have been
slightly neglected in terms of pruning. Now, all of the
new shoots are too
high up and all the flowers appear at the top of the
climbers, with next to
nothing lower down.

My question is, can the roses be cut right back (to say
half their size),

Yes, and more if you wish. In theory, you may cut back as
far as you please, as long as there is a growth bud below
your cut. In practice, if you cut down arbitrarily to 2 ft,
you will be very unlucky indeed if there is not at least one
incipient growth bud below that point. And 1 bud is enough
to give the rose a new start.
Many years ago I cut two climbers (I forget which they were)
to about 1 ft from the ground, and I was rewarded with two
new vigorous roses.

Franz