PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The original Millbridge was built in 1525 by Sir Piers Edgcumbe partly to hold a mill which operated by water flowing into and out of the creek. Passage across the bridge was free until quite suddenly in 1807 a toll-gate was erected. This prompted the Mayor and Corporation of Plymouth to march in due state to the bridge where, with the aid of a body of carpenters, they demolished the gate and threw the timber into the water. A legal battle ensued until an Act of Parliament confirmed the Edgcumbe's right to charge a toll and the bridge was then rebuilt. Pedestrians crossed free of toll -- the only such one in the Plymouth area. The bridge, along with Stonehouse Bridge, was sold by the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe and Lord St Levan to the General Tolls Company Ltd in February 1890 for £122,000. It was finally freed for all time on April 1st 1924, along with other local toll-houses except the Laira Bridge. The creek which supplied the water for the mill was gradually filled in and it was made into a public park at the turn of the century.
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