Turnpike trusts formed an important part of English life from around 1690 to
1840. During this time they made a significant contribution to economic
development. Locally and privately funded and usually operating on a relatively
small scale, they represented an administrative innovation by trying to improve
the transport infrastructure.
Road users paid for repairs and improvements, relieving parishioners of the
charge on local finances. Over 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of roads were 'turnpiked',
and most of these roads are still used today. Apart from the roads themselves,
the most obvious survivals of turnpike trusts are the scores of tollhouses and
hundred of roadside milestones.
This book outlines the origins, development, success and decline of the
turnpike trusts and some of their associated features.
Contents:
Before the turnpikes
The first turnpikes
Expansion and consolidation
Road improvements
Administration and finance
Tollhouses
Milestones
Further reading
