After I did the post about the early C18 Toll house that moved from the A140 to Needham Market where it is now a Vets surgery I looked on the library website to see if there were any books on the subject and reserved this one.
The map shows the roads in Suffolk that had toll houses and the black solid dots show those that still exist in one form or another.
Most of the toll houses built in Suffolk were not an interesting shape like The Mustard Pot but always built right on the road edge. They would have had a door opening to the road where the gate keeper would sit taking money and opening the gate.
This house below is Tollgate Cottage on the way out of Eye. It dawned on me as I was taking the photo that this is the reason this road in Eye is 'Lowgate'. The house was on the turnpike between Woodbridge and Eye in 1802.
The house previously had a door between the windows, no doubt blocked up when motorised traffic started rushing by.
I couldn't take a photo of Tollgate Cottage just north of Debenham as it's on a busy road and right where there are road-work traffic lights - but it looks exactly the same as the house above.
In Debenham village there's a house called "The Old Toll House" but this would have been the home of the man who looked after the regular markets and took tolls from the stallholders.
The last few pages of the book are about houses like this one above, that look like toll-houses but have no mention on old maps and records of the C18 and C19 turnpike roads.
After the turnpike roads came the railways and these too had small houses built for the gatekeeper where the railway crossed busy roads.. I'm old enough to remember several places in Suffolk where the railway gatekeeper would hurry out to close the gates to road traffic before the train came and open them again afterwards.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I remember those manual level crossing gates too from my childhood. They always worried me. :-) xx
ReplyDeleteI should hope you are old enough to remember the crossing keepers on the railway - they only disappeared on the Norwich to Cambridge line in 2012. A few areas in Britain still have them today.
ReplyDeleteSome local history learnt first thing in the morning, thank you !
ReplyDeleteMaguy
Suffolk toll houses seem much bigger than the ones I've seen in Wales, where you couldn't swing a cat!
ReplyDeleteI too remember the manual crossing gates (and horse and carts delivering milk!)
I also remember the manual crossings, one at East Stoke in Dorset near the primary school and also at Wool in Dorset, the trains went through the gates here I remember, someone not quick enough off the mark, no casualties but great excitement in a small community. Sarah Browne.
ReplyDeleteI remember them too - and the rural crossings where you had to call on the phone to the station, and ask if it was safe to open the gates and cross. Then of course, close them behind you once your car had gone through.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting subject, thank you
ReplyDeleteIt is still quite scary to cross the railway lines where you are allowed to. There are quite a few small houses like the Mustard Pot, I wonder if they were constructed in that manner because several lanes joined at this junction?
ReplyDeleteMost interesting. I dislike railway crossings.
ReplyDeleteI'm not keen on railway crossings.
ReplyDeleteThe history of these toll houses is very interesting.
Alison in Wales x
So many little toll houses, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think the front cover of the book shows the toll house in Sicklesmere on the A134
ReplyDeleteI’ve found that really interesting, as I did your original post.
ReplyDeleteA variation on the roads and railway crossings is in the south of Shetland where the road crosses the runway, manned on both sides when a flight is due! J’nan
I've always wanted to live in one of the smaller toll houses, or maybe a gate house. I've seen some lovely ones on our travels.
ReplyDeleteHave the toll houses been repurposed as private homes? Your photos show lovely well maintained buildings. The only downside to living in one of these homes is being at the edge of the road and cars whizzing by.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if toll houses ever were in the fast food business of their time? I'm thinking tollhouse cookies (\biscuits). Maybe just a catchy name though. Interesting post, thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness there are a great many toll houses. How interesting.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I've driven by the Yoxford one many times. always intrigued by it. We had a gatekeeper at the rail crossing near our farm. There was a pretty little house which went with the job, so close to the tracks I'm amazed it didn't shake to pieces. Looking back it was very small. the gatekeeper was a war veteran who had lost a hand and I think these jobs were considered suitable for injured soldiers.
ReplyDeleteWow what a really interesting post. I find it really interesting about all the 'lost' buildings and their uses.
ReplyDeleteHow did these places come to be? I mean, surely, the owner of the house didn't decide to put a gate up and collect money. In whose name was the money collected? Now I'm headed off to see what I can discover.
ReplyDelete