Turnpike Roads »

The late Geoffrey Wright was a teacher, before retiring to writing, photography and lecturing. He wrote widely, for Shire and other publishers.

Turnpike trusts were central to the development of English life for 150 years, contributing to economic and social development. For the first time, the need for an improved transport infrastructure was recognized as road users paid for repairs and improvements on over 20,000 miles of 'turnpiked' roads. Most of these eighteenth and nineteenth century roads are still used today as are the scores of neat tollhouses and roadside milestones which marked out turnpike roads. This book outlines the origins, development, success and eventual decline of turnpike roads and the features associated with them.