Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Begging the Courts pardon, but may I start a new Thread about a long held fascination of mine, the old TOLL HOUSES of Brum and it’s neighbours? I have been researching this for some time, and there are quite a few bits and bobs about Tolls on here already, from a few years ago….notably by the amazing Peter Walker, and OC (Graham Knight) and Lloyd Penfold and Peter Walford (Thylicine), plus a few significant others….. hopefully others will join in….but for starters I will keep it to ROAD TOLLS and leave the good old CANAL TOLLS for as and when….another fascinating subject….
BEGINNING
In the 18th century the rapidly developing industries of Birmingham created a demand for better transport facilities to enable raw materials to be brought into the town and to allow finished products to be transported to their markets. Increasingly those markets were not just regional but national and even international. From the mid-17th century, when roads had been the responsibility of the parishes through which they passed, whether they were local roads or important long-distance routes,the principal means of improving them had been the turnpike trust. Such trusts were empowered to finance the improvement of road surfaces and drainage, the construction of new lengths of road, and the construction and maintenance of bridges, by levying tolls on the users of the roads. In the 18th century, toll-gates, and their attendant's lodge cottage, became a familiar sight alongside main roads.
The turnpikes
The first private toll road was established by act of parliament in 1663 in Hertfordshire, and the first Trust was set up in 1707 on the London - Coventry - Chester road. They became known as turnpike trusts because of the "pikestaff" or wooden beam, which was swung across the road to check passers-by and collect their dues. The trusts had power to raise capital to build or repair a road by raising a loan on the security of the toll income. Some were more profitable than others: the Birmingham to Wednesbury trust had a total income of £5478, of which £4751 was derived from tolls, but it was an uphill battle to keep the roads in a passable condition. There was always some resistance to paying to use the roads, and in later years when traffic had become much heavier, it became impossible to collect enough revenue to maintain the roads to a good standard.
The main benefit of the turnpike system was the reduction in journey times, resulting from the road improvement. Advertised passenger coach journey times between Birmingham and London were steadily reduced from four days in 1659 to three days in 1702, to 2½ days in 1731, and to two days by 1747. The local historian William Hutton went to London in 1784, and wrote that the journey took 19 hours, but an advertisement dated 1787 claimed that the overnight journey took 16 hours. During the 1820s the time for the journey was further reduced to just over eleven hours, and in 1836, the record time was seven and a half hours. By this date, however, canals had been providing cheap but slow transport for bulky freight for over 50 years, and the new railways were about to take over most traffic from the roads. The last brand-new coach on the London-Birmingham route ran in 1837, a year before the opening of the London & Birmingham Railway.
The Turnpike Roads of Brum.
All roads in and out of Birmingham were turnpike ………..gated and a toll had to be paid before the gate was opened.
Deritend had one of the oldest toll bars others were at Bradford St. Lawley St.
Highgate near Kyrwicks Lane,
Exeter Row (Bristol St).1771
Ladypool Lane,
Edgbaston Lane (Edgbaston Rd)
Aston Rd. at Park Lane
Hamstead Rd & Villa Rd 1887
Bristol Rd. at Priory Rd.
Five Ways at Islington Row
Broad St.
Hagley Rd.& Sandon (Smethwick Lane)
Small Heath at Green Lane
Summerhill at Icknield St
Warwick Rd 1726
Stratford Rd 1726
Bromsgrove Rd. 1727
Wednesbury Rd. 1727
Old Walsall Rd. 1727
Coventry Rd 1745
Stourbridge Rd 1753
Castle Bromwich Rd 1760 Horse & Cart 3p, Packhorse 1d
Dudley Rd 1761
Alcester Rd. 1767
Lichfield Rd 1807
Pershore Rd 1825 Pebble Mill
New Walsall Rd 1831
To give you an idea on how much money was gained by the Toll charges
When the four cannons were freighted to Birmingham to be used as Lamp supports at Nelsons Statue the cost was £15
Graham Knight
The end of the turnpikes
With bulk freight using the canals and ever-growing passenger and ever-growing traffic on the railways, the turnpike roads lost much of their strategic importance, and the turnpike trusts found themselves short of income to maintain, let alone improve, the roads. From 1830, railways offered a far more efficient means of transporting both goods and passengers, and the first Great Railway Mania sealed the fate of long-distance horse-drawn traffic on the public highway. The only growing traffic on the turnpikes was human-powered, as the bicycle began to replace the horse as a means of personal travel. The Highways Act, passed in 1835 was an attempt to set up districts, composed of a group of parishes to look after roads, but it failed because of the difficulty of reconciling conflicting local loyalties and prejudices.
During the 1860s, the first trunk roads were "disturnpiked", to use the legal term, but it was not until 1878 that the Highways and Locomotives Amendment Act was passed to set up highway authorities. However, the restrictions on steam-hauled road traffic remained much as before. The last turnpike trust was dissolved in 1885. County councils were formed in 1888 partly to take over responsibility for main roads, while rural district councils accepted responsibility for main roads from 1894.
BEGINNING
In the 18th century the rapidly developing industries of Birmingham created a demand for better transport facilities to enable raw materials to be brought into the town and to allow finished products to be transported to their markets. Increasingly those markets were not just regional but national and even international. From the mid-17th century, when roads had been the responsibility of the parishes through which they passed, whether they were local roads or important long-distance routes,the principal means of improving them had been the turnpike trust. Such trusts were empowered to finance the improvement of road surfaces and drainage, the construction of new lengths of road, and the construction and maintenance of bridges, by levying tolls on the users of the roads. In the 18th century, toll-gates, and their attendant's lodge cottage, became a familiar sight alongside main roads.
The turnpikes
The first private toll road was established by act of parliament in 1663 in Hertfordshire, and the first Trust was set up in 1707 on the London - Coventry - Chester road. They became known as turnpike trusts because of the "pikestaff" or wooden beam, which was swung across the road to check passers-by and collect their dues. The trusts had power to raise capital to build or repair a road by raising a loan on the security of the toll income. Some were more profitable than others: the Birmingham to Wednesbury trust had a total income of £5478, of which £4751 was derived from tolls, but it was an uphill battle to keep the roads in a passable condition. There was always some resistance to paying to use the roads, and in later years when traffic had become much heavier, it became impossible to collect enough revenue to maintain the roads to a good standard.
The main benefit of the turnpike system was the reduction in journey times, resulting from the road improvement. Advertised passenger coach journey times between Birmingham and London were steadily reduced from four days in 1659 to three days in 1702, to 2½ days in 1731, and to two days by 1747. The local historian William Hutton went to London in 1784, and wrote that the journey took 19 hours, but an advertisement dated 1787 claimed that the overnight journey took 16 hours. During the 1820s the time for the journey was further reduced to just over eleven hours, and in 1836, the record time was seven and a half hours. By this date, however, canals had been providing cheap but slow transport for bulky freight for over 50 years, and the new railways were about to take over most traffic from the roads. The last brand-new coach on the London-Birmingham route ran in 1837, a year before the opening of the London & Birmingham Railway.
The Turnpike Roads of Brum.
All roads in and out of Birmingham were turnpike ………..gated and a toll had to be paid before the gate was opened.
Deritend had one of the oldest toll bars others were at Bradford St. Lawley St.
Highgate near Kyrwicks Lane,
Exeter Row (Bristol St).1771
Ladypool Lane,
Edgbaston Lane (Edgbaston Rd)
Aston Rd. at Park Lane
Hamstead Rd & Villa Rd 1887
Bristol Rd. at Priory Rd.
Five Ways at Islington Row
Broad St.
Hagley Rd.& Sandon (Smethwick Lane)
Small Heath at Green Lane
Summerhill at Icknield St
Warwick Rd 1726
Stratford Rd 1726
Bromsgrove Rd. 1727
Wednesbury Rd. 1727
Old Walsall Rd. 1727
Coventry Rd 1745
Stourbridge Rd 1753
Castle Bromwich Rd 1760 Horse & Cart 3p, Packhorse 1d
Dudley Rd 1761
Alcester Rd. 1767
Lichfield Rd 1807
Pershore Rd 1825 Pebble Mill
New Walsall Rd 1831
To give you an idea on how much money was gained by the Toll charges
When the four cannons were freighted to Birmingham to be used as Lamp supports at Nelsons Statue the cost was £15
Graham Knight
The end of the turnpikes
With bulk freight using the canals and ever-growing passenger and ever-growing traffic on the railways, the turnpike roads lost much of their strategic importance, and the turnpike trusts found themselves short of income to maintain, let alone improve, the roads. From 1830, railways offered a far more efficient means of transporting both goods and passengers, and the first Great Railway Mania sealed the fate of long-distance horse-drawn traffic on the public highway. The only growing traffic on the turnpikes was human-powered, as the bicycle began to replace the horse as a means of personal travel. The Highways Act, passed in 1835 was an attempt to set up districts, composed of a group of parishes to look after roads, but it failed because of the difficulty of reconciling conflicting local loyalties and prejudices.
During the 1860s, the first trunk roads were "disturnpiked", to use the legal term, but it was not until 1878 that the Highways and Locomotives Amendment Act was passed to set up highway authorities. However, the restrictions on steam-hauled road traffic remained much as before. The last turnpike trust was dissolved in 1885. County councils were formed in 1888 partly to take over responsibility for main roads, while rural district councils accepted responsibility for main roads from 1894.
Attachments
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1 Turnpike Roads from Brum with Dates copy .jpg -
12734285_10209094734228187_6585191394262514585_n.jpg -
17553410_10209313043086458_4223059178825357120_n.jpg -
Birmingham_bus_map copy.jpg -
Bradford_Street_1783.JPG -
Bull Ring.jpg -
cachemsend.jpg -
cachemsgate.jpg -
Cape Hill toll .jpg -
Court House Moor St Map 2 1553 Joseph Hill.jpg -
Edgbaston Park Rd Turnpike 1730.jpg -
Edgbaston Turnpike Bristol Rd.jpg -
Hampstead Toll House remnants.jpeg -
Hay Mills tollgate.jpeg -
OldTollGatesPennRd.jpg -
Quinton Hagley Rd .jpg -
Quinton Toll House .jpg -
Smethwick Toll House google now.jpeg -
Smethwick Toll House.jpg -
Stratford Rd Toll House.jpg -
Toll Gate Moseley.jpg
![Hay Mills Tavern and Toll House and cottage...[1].jpg](https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/data/attachments/48/48430-70d992480fd4c7e2b120ef7473a7f81b.jpg "Hay Mills Tavern and Toll House and cottage...[1].jpg")
