82-411: Great West Road may refer to: A4 road (England) from London to Bath and Bristol Golden Mile (Brentford) , West London (part of the above) Great West Road, Zambia See also [ edit ] Great Western Road (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
164-415: A coach pulled by four horses, a penny for an unladen horse and ten pence for a drove of 20 cows. The trustees could call on a portion of the statute duty from the parishes, either as labour or by a cash payment. The trust applied the income to pay for labour and materials to maintain the road. They were also able to mortgage future tolls to raise loans for new structures and for more substantial improvements to
246-469: A covered bridge that links Morris House of Marlborough College to the North Block of the same establishment. The college is an independent boarding school established in 1843 using some of the buildings that remained after the demise of the coaching trade, which saw the original Castle Inn Coaching House close. The route continues westward through the village of Fyfield , across Overton Hill where there
328-521: A disproportionate amount of damage to the road. The rate at which new trusts were created slowed in the early 19th century but the existing trusts were making major investments in highway improvement. The government had been directly involved in the building of military roads in Scotland following a rebellion in 1745, but the first national initiative was a scheme to aid communications with Ireland . Between 1815 and 1826 Thomas Telford undertook
410-683: A fifth of the roads in Britain; the majority being maintained by the parishes. A trust would typically be responsible for about 20 miles (32 km) of highway, although exceptions such as the Exeter Turnpike Trust controlled 147 miles (237 km) of roads radiating from the city. On the Bath Road for instance, a traveller from London to the head of the Thames Valley in Wiltshire would pass through
492-564: A high railway bridge, then over the River Thames flood prevention channel. The road then goes over Maidenhead's old bridge Maidenhead Bridge , spanning the River Thames , and into the eastern outskirts of Maidenhead. Along Bridge Road, St Cloud Way and Bad Godesberg Way respectively. The centre of Maidenhead is reached at the roundabout that forms the junction with the A308 . Turning northwards on
574-583: A major reorganization of the existing trusts along the London to Holyhead Road , and the construction of large sections of new road to avoid hindrances, particularly in North Wales. By 1838 the turnpike trusts in England were collecting £1.5 million per year from leasing the collection of tolls but had a cumulative debt of £7 million, mainly as mortgages. Even at its greatest extent, the turnpike system only administered
656-445: A more acceptable way of financing the maintenance of what was now a suburban road. With the improvement being made to the road systems, the business of moving mail became easier and thus more profitable as volumes were able to increase. In Bristol, a postal office had been well established by the 1670s. The journey time to London at this period was about 16 and three quarter hours. A letter from Bath in 1684 took about 3 days going via
738-580: A postal office in Marshfield on the Bristol Road. (The route to Bristol did not yet go through Bath at this time). Journey times during the Turnpike era fell with the improvements from 2 days in 1752 to 38 hours in 1782 and 18 hours by 1836. Royal Mail coaches in 1836 were able to do the trip in 12 to 13 hours. Further improvements to regional post services were made between 1719 and 1763 due to contracts with
820-709: A rising volume of traffic, or in building new sections of road. During the first three decades of the 18th century, sections of the main radial roads into London were put under the control of individual turnpike trusts. The pace at which new turnpikes were created picked up in the 1750s as trusts were formed to maintain the cross-routes between the Great Roads radiating from London. Roads leading into some provincial towns, particularly in Western England, were put under single trusts and key roads in Wales were turnpiked. In South Wales,
902-550: A trust was ended, there were often great celebrations as the gates were thrown open. The assets of the trust, such as tollhouses, gates and sections of surplus land beside the road were auctioned off to reduce the debt, and mortgagees were paid at whatever rate in the pound the funds would allow. The legacy of the turnpike trust is the network of roads that still form the framework of the main road system in Britain. In addition, many roadside features such as milestones and tollhouses have survived, despite no longer having any function in
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#1732844684297984-732: Is Chiswick Roundabout , which is the junction for both the North and South Circular Roads . The road then passes the Glaxo-Smith Kline premises in Brentford where it follows underneath its successor the M4 as far as the bridge over the River Brent . The stretch between Chiswick's western border to Syon Lane (Gillette Corner) is known as the Golden Mile with some notable Art Deco factories. The road remains as
1066-475: Is Slough railway station , served by Great Western Railway. The roundabout was removed in 2011 and the university's Slough campus closed in 2011 after planning permission was granted for 1,598 flats. Continuing from the William Street / Wellington Street junction, in the centre of Slough , the road heads westwards towards Maidenhead. The short stretch of dual carriageway is Wellington Street, then briefly on
1148-567: Is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport , Reading , Bath and Bristol . It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road and Portway . The road was once the main route from London to Bath, Bristol and the west of England and formed, after the A40 , the second main western artery from London. Although most traffic
1230-691: Is a parking area at the start of the Ridgeway National Trail and through the village of West Kennett . On leaving West Kennett there are some lay-bys where visitors can walk a short distance from the road to the Neolithic West Kennet Long Barrow , which forms part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. One mile further along the A4 is Silbury Hill , which is also part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. A purpose built car park
1312-598: Is carried by the M4 motorway today, the A4 still acts as the main route from Bristol to London for non-motorway traffic. The A4 has gone through many transformations through the ages from pre-Roman routes, Roman roads (such as the one passing Silbury Hill ), and basic wagon tracks. During the Middle Ages, most byways and tracks served to connect villages with their nearest market town. A survey of Savernake Forest near Hungerford in 1228 mentions "The King's Street" running between
1394-469: Is junction 5 of the M4 (Slough-East) known as the Langley junction. At this point the A4 loses its trunk road classification. Continuing towards Slough town centre, the road, now named London Road, passes Kedermister Park on the right. Changing into Sussex Place, the architecturally impressive St Bernard's former convent is on the right. Becoming the dual carriageway Wellington Street (a late 1960s bypass for
1476-635: Is located beyond the hill on the right travelling westward. As the route approaches the Beckhampton roundabout, which forms the intersection with the A361 , it passes by the Waggon & Horses Inn, built in 1669 to profit from the increasing trade along the old Bath Road. It is mentioned in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens . The route continues past Cherhill . The Cherhill White Horse can be seen to
1558-508: Is on the left as the road enters Thatcham. At the roundabout after the industrial Estate the route follows London Road and passes Thatcham towards Benham Hill and Newbury . At the Benham Hill roundabout it goes along Bath Road where it deviates from Turnpike Road. Bath Road is the original turnpiked road and the road now confusingly called Turnpike Road was originally called The Shaw Road. The turnpike then continues along London Road as it enters
1640-521: The Borough of Hounslow , passing Fuller's Brewery . After Hogarth Roundabout , the road passes Hogarth's House and is called Hogarth Lane, then Ellesmere Road and Cedars Road. It becomes the Great West Road again just a few yards short of the start of Chiswick Flyover , which is junction 1 of the M4. Gunnersbury 's Russian Orthodox Cathedral is clearly visible on the right. The next major intersection
1722-532: The Institute of Directors , before turning right along St James's Street to reach Piccadilly . Eastbound from Green Park, the A4 runs along the full length of Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus , before turning right along Haymarket . It bears left along Pall Mall East, then right along the west side of Trafalgar Square , past the National Gallery and Canada House , to Charing Cross. Finally, it bears left along
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#17328446842971804-684: The Ismaili Centre , and onto Cromwell Road , past the Natural History Museum . At Earls Court , the A4 becomes dual carriageway , and continues along West Cromwell Road, over the West London Line into West Kensington and the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . A 5-mile (8.0 km) section of the road from Knightsbridge to the Chiswick Flyover was the first section of Clearway designated in London. It introduced no stopping on
1886-635: The M40 at junction 2. To the south, it goes towards the M4 (junction 6, Slough Centre) and Windsor . The route at this point runs parallel to both the Great Western Main Line and the M4. The road continues past the southern fringe of Slough Trading Estate . On Slough's western boundary is the Huntercombe Spur roundabout linking the A4 to junction 7 of the M4 motorway. Here the dual carriageway ends. The road bends right at Taplow and passes under
1968-571: The River Kennet on the outskirts of the town at the same time as intersecting with the A338 . The route does not enter the town centre, but continues through the northern part of town on its way to Marlborough , via the village of Froxfield and the northern edge of Savernake Forest . On entering the outskirts of Marlborough the road follows London Road. Crossing the River Kennet again it briefly shares
2050-584: The Royal Courts of Justice , the Savoy and Adelphi theatres , and Charing Cross railway station . From Charing Cross station to Green Park , the westbound and eastbound routes of the A4 are considerably different, due to one-way systems. Westbound, the A4 continues along the Strand up to Charing Cross itself, then along Cockspur Street and into Pall Mall , the location of many exclusive gentlemen's clubs as well as
2132-462: The 17th century, the A4 was known as the Great Road to Bristol. When Queen Anne started patronising the spa city of Bath , the road became more commonly known as Bath Road. Over the years, the direction of the road has taken many detours depending on such factors as changes in tolls or turnpike patronage. For example, in 1750 the toll road from London was altered to go through Melksham ; and in 1695
2214-477: The 1820s, the employment of good surveyors improved the condition of the road and aided an increased flow of wealthy travellers. The tolls raised from such clientele ensured that when the turnpike trusts handed over the route to local highway boards , they had no financial liabilities. Justices of the peace were empowered by the Highway Act 1862 to combine turnpike trusts into highways districts. This meant that by
2296-614: The 1870s it was feasible for Parliament to close the trusts progressively without leaving an unacceptable financial burden on local communities. From 1871, all applications for renewal were sent to the Turnpike Trust Commission. This arranged for existing acts to continue, but with the objective of discharging the debt, and returning the roads to local administration, which was by then by highway boards . The Local Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads to county councils and county borough councils. When
2378-549: The A308 would lead to the A404 towards Marlow and High Wycombe . Southwards, the A308 heads towards Windsor and provides an opportunity to branch off for junction 8/9 of the M4. Heading out of Maidenhead town centre, the road follows Castle Hill and then Bath Road. At the outskirts, the road forms part of junction 9b of the A404(M)/A404, which links junction 8/9 of the M4 with junction 4 of
2460-725: The A4 turns left in a southerly direction at another roundabout. The route heads downhill over the River Avon on the Avenue La Fleche , named after one of Chippenham's twin towns, to the Bridge Centre roundabout. The Bridge Centre roundabout forms a junction of the A4 with the A420 Bristol Road. The route heads over Rowden Hill past the Chippenham Community Hospital and down to the spot where musician Eddie Cochran
2542-501: The A5) in the 1820s reduced the journey time of the London mail coach from 45 hours to just 27 hours, and the best mail coach speeds rose from 5-6 mph (8–10 km/h) to 9-10 mph (14–16 km/h). McAdam and his sons were employed as general surveyors (consultant engineers) to many of the main turnpike trusts in southern England. They recommended the building of new sections of road to avoid obstructions, eased steep slopes and directed
Great West Road - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-597: The Bath Road. It passes Prospect Park , and the suburbs of Southcote , Horncastle and Calcot , before reaching Junction 12 of the M4. The A4 heads south westerly through Theale and over the roundabout connecting it to the A340 which heads towards Pangbourne. Heading towards Thatcham , the road passes Aldermaston Wharf next to the Kennet and Avon Canal and through the villages of Woolhampton and Midgham . A large industrial estate
2706-676: The Great West Road through Osterley and Hounslow where it splits with the A30 , which is known as the Great South West Road. Between the two world wars, the Great West Road was built as a bypass to relieve traffic congestion in Brentford and Hounslow. After the A30, the A4 changes its name to Bath Road, enters Cranford , and crosses the River Crane into the Borough of Hillingdon . It then passes along
2788-572: The High Street), Tesco's massive "aircraft hangar" supermarket is on the right and the Queensmere and Observatory Shopping Centres on the left. The end of this section of the Great Western Road is in the centre of Slough at the junction of William Street and Wellington Street. This spot was formerly the site of Slough's largest roundabout on the south-east corner of Thames Valley University. Nearby
2870-479: The London Inland Letter Office negotiated by Ralph Allen , the postmaster of Bath. In the early part of the 19th century, coaching was at its height with six stagecoaches each day carrying passengers to and from London along the Bath Road in 1830, rising to ten by 1836. Hungerford is at about the midway point of the journey between London and Bristol and was ideally positioned to take advantage of
2952-810: The London Road again, it crosses the junction of the A3290 next to Palmer Park , which leads to Junction 10 of the M4. The A4 goes over the intersection with the A329 Cemetery Junction which links Wokingham with Pangbourne , passing the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the London Road Campus of the University of Reading . At London Street and again at Southampton Street, the A4 meets the A327 twice, since
3034-717: The M40 at Handy Cross. The A4 crosses open countryside before following New Bath Road on the outskirts of Twyford . This is a bypass, built in 1929, that deviates from the old route of the A4, and crosses the River Loddon on its way into the suburbs of Reading via the village of Charvil. The A4 passes the King George's Field in Sonning , which are used as playing fields, and the Reading Cricket and Hockey Club . As it enters Reading, along
3116-625: The early 19th century the concept of the turnpike trust was adopted and adapted to manage roads within the British Empire (Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa) and in the United States. Turnpikes declined with the coming of the railways and then the Local Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads to county councils and county borough councils. The term "turnpike" originates from
3198-471: The east side of the Square, past South Africa House , then right along Duncannon Street to reach Charing Cross station. The first part of Regent Street , from Waterloo Place to Piccadilly Circus, is also signed as the A4; all traffic here runs in a northbound direction. From Green Park, the A4 enters a short tunnel under Hyde Park Corner , where Wellington Arch is located. Afterwards, the road continues along
3280-411: The existing highway. The trusts applied some funds to erecting tollhouses that accommodated the pikeman or toll-collector beside the turnpike gate. Although trusts initially organised the collection of tolls directly, it became common for them to auction a lease to collect tolls. Specialist toll-farmers would make a fixed payment to the trust for the lease and then organise the day-to-day collection of
3362-643: The first part of Knightsbridge , before bearing left onto Brompton Road . This is an affluent area of London, in which the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores are located as well as numerous embassies . At this point, the road enters the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . At the Brompton Oratory , the road bears right along Thurloe Place and Cromwell Gardens, past the Victoria and Albert Museum and
Great West Road - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-425: The highway passed, augment this with tolls from users from outside the parishes and apply the whole to the maintenance of the main highway. This became the pattern for the turnpiking of a growing number of highways, sought by those who wished to improve flow of commerce through their part of a county. The proposal to turnpike a particular section of road was normally a local initiative and a separate Act of Parliament
3526-400: The highway with the A346 which connects northwards to Swindon . It splits again at a roundabout along New Road and Oxford Street into the town centre on the High Street. The High Street is a traditional main thoroughfare for an English market town, in that it is wide, with space for market stalls on either side and in the middle, though these spaces are usually marked for car parking. Until
3608-441: The highway. These officers were paid by the trust. Trustees were not paid, though they derived indirect benefits from the better transport, which improved access to markets and led to increases in rental income and trade. The first action of a new trust was to erect turnpike gates at which a fixed toll was charged. The Act gave a maximum toll allowable for each class of vehicle or animal – for instance one shilling and six pence for
3690-433: The increase in coaching. In 1836, five companies operated a coaching service through Hungerford. This peak was to be short-lived following the construction of the Great Western Railway . The decline in coaching traffic in Hungerford coincided with the building of the Great Western Railway from London to Bath and Bristol, and the subsequent Berks and Hants Railway line from Newbury to Hungerford itself in 1847. By 1843, it
3772-440: The junction with the A342 Devizes road and a right turn past the Lysley Arms towards Chippenham . On the outskirts of Chippenham is a large roundabout, where the A4 used to carry straight on down London Road and The Causeway into the town centre, which has since been pedestrianised. Most traffic turns left to go round the Pewsham Estate relief road called Pewsham Way, which is now the classified A4 route. After four roundabouts,
3854-446: The jurisdiction of seven trusts, paying a toll at the gates of each. Although a few trusts built new bridges (e.g. at Shillingford over the Thames), most bridges remained a county responsibility. A few bridges were built with private funds and tolls taken at these (e.g., the present Swinford Toll Bridge over the Thames). The quality of early turnpike roads was varied. Although turnpiking did result in some improvement to each highway,
3936-420: The justices in other counties in England and Wales. An example is the first Turnpike Act for Surrey, the Surrey and Sussex Highways Act 1696 ( 8 & 9 Will. 3 . c. 15), during the reign of William III for enhanced repairs between Reigate in Surrey and Crawley in Sussex. The act made provision to erect turnpikes , and appoint toll collectors; also to appoint surveyors, who were authorized by order of
4018-412: The justices to borrow money at five per cent interest, on security of the tolls. The first scheme that had trustees who were not justices was established through a Turnpike Act in 1706 ( 6 Ann. c. 4) for a section of the London- Chester road between Fornhill (near Hockliffe ) and Stony Stratford . The basic principle was that the trustees would manage resources from the several parishes through which
4100-438: The late 1860s trusts were either not renewing their powers or were being terminated by general Acts of Parliament. For example, most turnpikes in Berkshire, including the Bath Road, were officially wound up by 1878 when legislation transferred responsibility for dis-enturnpiked roads to the new county councils . The tollgate on the Bath Road west of Reading was removed in 1864 as the outward pressure of urban development made rates
4182-499: The late 1980s most of this section, and some of the following Wiltshire section, was configured as three lanes, with the central lane available for overtaking traffic in either direction. This is no longer considered safe so the road now has one wider-than-normal lane in each direction, with ghost islands at junctions to discourage overtaking at these points. The A4 continues along the High Street on its way out of Marlborough via Bridewell Street and Bath Road. The road passes underneath
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#17328446842974264-423: The latter loops round on two branches which meet at Whitley Street. Between the two junctions, the A4 becomes Crown Street for approximately 150 metres. On the other side of the intersection the A4 follows Pell Street and continues westward. Here it crosses the River Kennet , the Holy Brook and the A33 relief road, which goes towards Basingstoke . In West Reading , the A4 becomes Berkeley Avenue, and then
4346-412: The left, and nearby the Lansdowne Monument . The route then descends the Labour in Vain Hill through the village of Quemerford and into the market town of Calne . Heading towards the town centre, the road crosses a double mini roundabout, one exit forming the junction with the A3102 to Melksham. It follows New Road and passes by the old coaching inn of the Lansdowne Strand. On the way out of Calne,
4428-413: The local justices of the peace powers to erect toll-gates on a section of the road, between Wadesmill , Hertfordshire; Caxton , Cambridgeshire ; and Stilton , Huntingdonshire for 11 years, the revenues so raised to be used for the maintenance of the road in their jurisdictions ( 15 Cha. 2 . c. 1). The toll-gate erected at Wadesmill was the prototype in England. Parliament then gave similar powers to
4510-442: The map maker, John Ogilby, produced a map of the Hungerford area of the Great West Road showing two possible routes. As Bath became more popular with the wealthy and famous, it was inevitable that turnpike trusts would be set up under the terms of the Turnpike Acts to pay for maintenance and improvements to the road. The first turnpike on this road was between Reading and Theale in 1714. Due to increasing traffic, sections of
4592-418: The marketplace or streets of towns, began also to be used for maintaining some roads between towns in the 14th century. These grants were made by letters patent , almost invariably for a limited term, presumably the time likely to be required to pay for the required works. Tudor statutes had placed responsibility on each parish vestry to maintain all its roads. This arrangement was adequate for roads that
4674-404: The money, leaving themselves with a profit on their operations over a year. The powers of a trust were limited, normally to 21 years, after which it was assumed that the responsibility for the now-improved road would be handed back to the parishes. However, trusts routinely sought new powers before this time limit, usually citing the need to pay off the debts incurred in repairing damage caused by
4756-459: The most western end of the High Street, over the railway bridge for the line between Slough and Windsor Central Station. The Bath Road begins on the west side of the bridge. On the left is Slough's 1936 Town Hall, now abandoned by the local council, and on the right Salt Hill Park. The next major road intersection is by the Three Tuns Pub where the A4 crosses the A355 . This road goes north towards Farnham Royal, Farnham Common, Beaconsfield and
4838-418: The northern boundary of Heathrow Airport , before leaving the London suburbs over the M25 towards the west. After leaving Heathrow Airport, still the A4, it becomes the Colnbrook Bypass and climbs over the M25 motorway. This bypass for the narrow main road of Colnbrook was built after the Second World War across farmland between Harmondsworth and the outskirts of Langley . The next major intersection
4920-434: The old route of the A34. After the junction, the road heads out of town through Speenhamland along Western Avenue and Bath Road to the junction with the A34 Newbury bypass , which was opened, after some controversy, on 17 November 1998, at a cost of £104 million. The route heads over undulating countryside in a fairly straight westward direction towards Hungerford , parallel to the Kennet and Avon Canal and crossing
5002-413: The outskirts of Newbury. Heading towards the centre of Newbury, the route passes the West Berkshire Community Hospital on the right. To the North of the town centre the road becomes part of an unusual junction with the A339 that links the new A34 by-pass to the north with Basingstoke to the south. The junction is a combination of a figure of eight roundabout with an elevated section that used to be
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#17328446842975084-426: The parishioners used themselves but proved unsatisfactory for the principal highways that were used by long-distance travellers and waggoners. During the 17th century, the piecemeal approach to road maintenance caused acute problems on the main routes into London. As trade increased, the growing numbers of heavy carts and carriages led to serious deterioration in the state of these roads and this could not be remedied by
5166-582: The relaying of existing road-beds with carefully graded stones to create a dry, fast-running surface (known as Macadamising ). Coach design improved to take advantage of these better roads and in 1843 the London-to- Exeter mail coach could complete the 170-mile (270-km) journey in 17 hours. The introduction of toll gates had been resented by local communities which had freely used the routes for centuries. Early Acts had given magistrates powers to punish anyone damaging turnpike property, such as defacing milestones, breaking turnpike gates or avoiding tolls. Opposition
5248-403: The renewal acts for the earlier trusts incorporated a growing list of powers and responsibilities. The Kent Roads Act 1743 ( 17 Geo. 2 . c. 4), the Turnpike Roads Act 1766 ( 7 Geo. 3 . c. 40) and the Turnpike Roads Act 1773 ( 13 Geo. 3 . c. 84) made statutory provision for the erection of milestones along the turnpike roads indicating the distance between the main towns on the road. Users of
5330-632: The result was that toll gates were dismantled and the trusts abolished in the six counties of South Wales , their powers being transferred to a roads board for each county. These are incomplete lists of trusts by county. By the early Victorian period toll gates were perceived as an impediment to free trade. The multitude of small trusts were frequently charged with being inefficient in use of resources and potentially suffered from petty corruption. The railway era spelt disaster for most turnpike trusts. Although some trusts in districts not served by railways managed to increase revenue, most did not. In 1829,
5412-407: The road between Kensington , over Hounslow Hill, to Twyford were turnpike by 1717 with the remaining sections placed under turnpike trusts. As turnpike trusts were individually run, there was the possibility for greatly differing road conditions, especially over the London Clay basin of Kensington , Brentford , Hounslow and Slough , where winter conditions left the way muddy and uneven. This
5494-408: The road during rush hours on 21 August 1961. The A4 continues along Talgarth Road past the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . The road becomes elevated at the Hammersmith Flyover and heads towards Heathrow Airport as the Great West Road, passing Hammersmith's two churches of St Paul and St Peter . At this point the road is close to the River Thames . The road enters Chiswick and
5576-417: The road goes along Curzon Street, and then to Chilvester Hill at the roundabout where the northern part of the A3102 splits off towards Lyneham . The A4 descends steeply before climbing again up Black Dog Hill past the Bowood House Estate. The old road used to pass through Derry Hill , but the New Road, as it is called at this point, indicates that the village was bypassed. There follows a steep descent to
5658-447: The road were obliged to follow what were to become rules of the road, such as driving on the left and not damaging the road surface. Trusts could take additional tolls during the summer to pay for watering the road in order to lay the dust thrown up by fast-moving vehicles. Parliament also passed a few general Turnpike Acts dealing with the administration of the trusts and restrictions on the width of wheels – narrow wheels were said to cause
5740-559: The roads of complete counties were put under single turnpike trusts in the 1760s. A further surge of trust formation occurred in the 1770s, with the turnpiking of subsidiary connecting roads, routes over new bridges, new routes in the growing industrial areas and roads in Scotland . About 150 trusts were established by 1750; by 1772 a further 400 were established and, in 1800, there were over 700 trusts. In 1825 about 1,000 trusts controlled 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of road in England and Wales. The acts of Parliament for these new trusts and
5822-423: The similarity of the gate used to control access to the road, to the barriers once used to defend against attack by cavalry (see cheval de frise ). The turnpike consisted of a row of pikes or bars, each sharpened at one end, and attached to horizontal members which were secured at one end to an upright pole or axle, which could be rotated to open or close the gate. Pavage grants, originally made for paving
5904-525: The technologies used to deal with geological features, drainage, and the effects of weather, were all in their infancy. Road construction improved slowly, initially through the efforts of individual surveyors such as John Metcalf in Yorkshire in the 1760s. 19th-century engineers made great advances, notably Thomas Telford and John Loudon McAdam . The engineering work of Telford on the Holyhead Road (now
5986-474: The title Great West Road . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_West_Road&oldid=1132773743 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages A4 road (England) The A4
6068-452: The town and Marlborough . This street corresponded roughly with the route of the modern A4. In 1632, Thomas Witherings was appointed Postmaster of Foreign Mails by Charles I. Three years later, the king charged him with building six "Great Roads" to aid in the delivery of the post, of which the Great West Road was one. It was not until the 17th century that a distinct route between London and Bristol started to resemble today's road. During
6150-664: The use of parish statute labour. A parliamentary bill was tabled in 1621/22 to relieve the parishes responsible for part of the Great North Road by imposing a scale of tolls on various sorts of traffic. The toll revenue was to be used in repairing the road, however, the bill was defeated. During the following forty years, the idea of making travellers contribute to the repair of roads was raised on several occasions. Many parishes continued to struggle to find funds to repair major roads and in Hertfordshire , way wardens on behalf of
6232-549: The vestries stood frequent trial at quarter sessions for their failure to keep the Old North Road in a good state of repair. In 1656 the parish of Radwell, Hertfordshire petitioned their local sessions for help to maintain their section of the Great North Road. Probably as a result judges on the Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire circuit represented the matter to Parliament, it then passed an act that gave
6314-573: The year before the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened, the Warrington and Lower Irlam Trust had receipts of £1,680 but, by 1834, this had fallen to £332. The Bolton and Blackburn Trust had an income of £3,998 in 1846, but in 1847 following the completion of a railway between the two towns, this had fallen to £3,077 and, in 1849, £1,185. The debts of many trusts became significant; forced mergers of solvent and debt-laden trusts became frequent, and by
6396-592: Was killed in a car crash on 17 April 1960. A plaque has been placed there in remembrance. Turnpike trust Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament , with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, over 1,000 trusts administered around 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of turnpike road in England and Wales, taking tolls at almost 8,000 toll-gates and side-bars. During
6478-405: Was not always the case with the Bath Road, as many of the wealthy landowners along the route co-operated informally and exercised a large amount of control over feeder roads. As a result, control of the Bath Road was easy to maintain and many inns and towns became prosperous. Tollhouses were established at Colnbrook , Maidenhead , Twyford , Castle Street Reading , Thatcham and Benham . During
6560-499: Was particularly intense in mountainous regions where good routes were scarce. In Mid Wales in 1839, new tolls on old roads sparked protests known as the Rebecca Riots . There were sporadic outbursts of vandalism and violent confrontation by gangs of 50 to 100 or more local men, and gatekeepers were told that if they resisted they would be killed. In 1844, the ringleaders were caught and transported to Australia as convicts. However,
6642-624: Was reported that the stage coaches had ceased running between Bristol and London. The A4 begins as New Fetter Lane in the City of London at Holborn Circus on the A40 . It goes in a southerly direction to join Fleet Street where many British national newspapers at one time had their head offices. The road heads west through the City of Westminster via Aldwych and the Strand , passing notable landmarks such as
6724-416: Was required to create each trust. The Act gave the trustees responsibility for maintaining a specified part of the existing highway. It provided them with powers to achieve this; the right to collect tolls from those using the road was particularly important. Local gentlemen, clergy and merchants were nominated as trustees and they appointed a clerk, a treasurer and a surveyor to actually administer and maintain
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