PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The first of the Turnpike Acts was passed in 1663 for the London to York road passing through Cambridgeshire. These Acts defined a stretch of road which a Turnpike Trust must maintain in return for the authority to collect tolls from the road's users to pay for their work. Individual roads had to have a separate Act of Parliament but in 1773 a General Turnpike Act was passed that helped to streamline the system. All Trusts were initially limited to a life of 21 years but most were extended beyond that. The term "turnpike" was derived from the toll bar that was placed across the road to prevent the traffic from passing without paying the toll. This bar was shaped like a pike: indeed, perhaps it was a new use for the redundant military weapon. With most of the British major road system improved and made into turnpike roads by 1750, agitation soon started for the same to be done to the Great West Road from London to Falmouth and its by-road to Plymouth. The Plymouth road was very busy during times of war but it was narrow, only 10 to 12 feet wide, hilly and so muddy that it was more like a river bed than a road. In 1753 the Exeter Turnpike Trust was allowed to improve the road from Exeter as far as Chudleigh Bridge. Two years later, in 1755, the Ashburton Turnpike Trust was authorised to improve the mid section, from Chudleigh Bridge to Brent Bridge at South Brent. Finally, in 1757 the Plymouth Eastern Trust was authorised to carry out work on the remaining stretch of the Exeter road, from Brent Bridge to the Gasking Gate in Plymouth. The road was opened in 1758 and immediately the landlord of the Prince George Inn on the corner of Stillman Street and Vauxhall Street started to run a weekly diligence as far as Exeter, a journey that took a staggering twelve hours. With Plymouth now reachable from Exeter, attention turned to the road from Plymouth to Tavistock. This was made the responsibility of the Tavistock Turnpike Trust by Act of Parliament in 1761 and included a "branch" from Manadon Gate to Stoke Damerel. Tolls were to be collected at three places, Knackersnowle (the present-day Crownhill), Horrabridge and the Abbey Gate Bridge in Tavistock. In 1762, during the second year of the reign of King George III, an Act of Parliament was obtained by Sir John St Aubyn and others, to improve the roads leading to and from the Borough of Saltash. In addition to improving the road from Trerulefoot to the Saltash Ferry, the road 'from a certain place called Saltash Passage within the said parish of Saint Stephens next Ash in the County of Cornwall to Weston Mills within the parish of Saint Budeaux by Swilly in the parish of Stoke Damerell to the corner of the meadow at the east end of the bridge by the Lower Grist mills within the Borough of Plymouth in the County of Devon' was also to be turnpiked. Thus the Saltash Turnpike Trust was formed. The Lords of the Manors of Stoke Damerel and East Stonehouse obtained an Act ion 1766 to erect a bridge across Stonehouse Creek. The Act described the approach roads as narrow and not suitable for anything other than pedestrians. A fine new bridge was built but the roads remained as they were until 1784, when an Act was obtained establishing the Stonehouse Turnpike Trust. They improved Stonehouse Lane and in 1815 constructed across the intervening marshland what became known as Union Street. The modernisation of the Saltash Ferry in 1832 prompted a new route for the road from Saltash Passage to Plymouth. The Act of Parliament received the Royal assent on March 29th 1833. In addition, a totally new road was laid by the Saltash Trust from the Plymouth side of Weston Mill Creek, around what was then the shoreline to the entrance to Keyham Creek, to the end of Union Terrace, Morice Town, Devonport. This saved two miles on the original route via North Prospect, Milehouse and Stoke. Both roads were to be no more than 45 feet in width. Finally, came the Modbury Turnpike Trust, which was authorised in 1803 to improve the road from Modbury through Yealmpton and Brixton. Then, following the opening of Lord Morley's Laira Bridge in 1827, the road was moved to link up with it. The Stonehouse Turnpike Trust was the first of the local ones to be wound-up, in 1843. The Plymouth Eastern Turnpike Trust ceased in 1873. The Saltash and Tavistock Turnpike Trusts were wound-up in 1877 and the roads transferred to the parish authorities through which they passed. The Modbury Trust ended its operations in 1878. In 1888, when Devon County Council was formed, the roads outside of the Town boundary became County roads.
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