October 2005
Forthcoming meetings and other events
Wednesday 16 November A policeman's lot... - Caroline Edwards, HRO.
Wednesday 21 December AGM and Christmas social evening
Last month's meeting, 21 September 2005
Turnpikes, Coaches and Milestones - an illustrated talk by Alan Roseveare of the Milestones Association.
Isn't it amazing what fascinates people! For a start what's a turnpike? Well it's a road you can pay to travel on, perhaps over an expensive bridge, like the Severn Bridge into Wales; or in France; or Birmingham Toll; or even in Singapore and many, many other countries. The turnpike can have a big barrier where people extract your toll money from you, or you pay electronically as in Singapore. In the 18th Century you paid coins to get your coach through the barrier.
About 60 TADS members heard Alan's maiden lecture, which smacked of highwaymen, villains, exhausted horses pulling lumbering, cumbersome wagons through mud and ruts deep enough to swallow everyone up. Every mile was signed with a milestone and there was a smattering of toll houses.
No highwaymen tonight, but quite a few tales of underhand deals and exhausted horses.
Tracks and roads have been with us for millennia, whether the reasonably local Ridgeway, drove roads, or Roman roads. Many roads deteriorated. The Roman ones often didn't. Silchester's (Calleva Atrebatum) city status probably folded because of lack of water transport to go with their now mostly tracked roads and lanes left from Roman times.
Many of our 'red' ('A') roads are ex-turnpikes. Our 'blue' ones are motorways. In Elizabethan times each parish had to look after its own roads and every man had to do 6 days' work each year to maintain them.
The real turnpike era lasted about 150 years in the 17th and 18th centuries - before being superceded by canals, then railways.
In a complete turnabout, we now have our massive loads, our cars, our postal system etc. mostly BACK on our overloaded roads.(Dr Beeching shut many railways in the 1960s)
The Plantagenet kings, John, (reigned 1199-1216) and Henry III, (reigned 1216-1272) maintained roads for hospitality purposes: for their Royal Progresses from stately home to stately home.
To stop your coach and horse team sinking into the mire and ruts you could pass, quite chaotically, anywhere you liked on the road. Turnpike tolls took money from you according to the weight of your stagecoach, wagon or horse. Pedestrians passed freely, if muddily.
The 'civil engineers' of the day tried to build roads on as stable a foundation as possible. George II (1728) tried hard, but as in the 21st century travellers didn't like paying up. Land owners took a cut, too There was a toll house at Castle Hill, Reading, but not too many in the Tadley area. Tadley was a bit off the beaten track pre-AWE Aldermaston, in the 1950s. However, the A34 still thrusts from Southampton to Northampton and always has been an important road.
In 1772 there was an Aldermaston to Basingstoke Turnpike Trust, but by 1823 it became apparent that someone, somewhere along the road, had pocketed the profits and had been doing so for years!
On a turnpike road you were not allowed to kill or bleed animals or skin them; not to have a fire; or fly a kite; or even do bear baiting, etc. etc.
However, by the 1820s the turnpike had improved travel so that 10 mph horse-drawn coaches could hurtle along for 10 miles and then change horses. Two thousand five hundred horses were stabled underground at Hounslow, Middlesex - but horses were expensive to 'fuel' and tend, some unscrupulous owners worked their beasts to exhaustion and death by not using the rest-periods properly.
As one travelled along various turnpike roads one came across toll houses, circa 1790. The toll keeper collected the money because someone had to do it, somehow! A busy road could take £3,000 annually; a second division road, £100.
There is still a privately owned River Thames toll Bridge between Pangbourne (Berks) and Whitchurch (Oxon) charging 10p for cars (2005). The owner has to maintain the river bridge in a workmanlike manner.
Some remarkably picturesque, often octagonal, toll houses remain. Locally there are toll houses at Tidmarsh (Berks), Whitchurch (Oxon), Old Basing and Ashford Hill, (Hants). Ashford Hill's toll was by the Pineapple Inn.
The 1870s saw the closure of most turnpikes (Obviously the idea resurrecting electronically in the 20th and 21st centuries) The railways struck the death knell of the turnpikes, causing poverty and destitution to the road workers.
The era of the 21st century's e-bay selling has seen a sometimes vile trade in the been-there-for-ever marvellous milestone. (milestones are often shown as snowy coach and horses Christmas cards portraying yesteryear.) In 1741 you could buy a milestone for £2, 8shillings (about £2.40) or a set of them for 16 guineas. Many milestones remain undisturbed, mile by mile, but are beginning to sell on e-bay for £150 each. A certain antique shop 25 miles west of Tadley is selling them for £670 each! The Iron Bridge museum can re-create a milestone plate for £30.
Just a mile east of Tadley is possibly one of the most famous and ancient wayfarer markers: the amazing Impstone. This is allegedly Roman or older, and in any case is massive and hopefully immovable.
Alan Roseveare has to be thanked for his spirited and informative talk, his 13 plus books on turnpikes, coaches and milestones, and his dedication to English wayside history.
Rosemary Bond; 21/09/05
Other news
TADS outing - Saturday 24 September 2005
This year's outing was to the New Forest. Bob Bysouth, our leader for the day, lived in the forest for many years and his enthusiasm and knowledge of the places and sights we visited made for a very enjoyable day.
We were fortunate with the weather - a warm sunny day. After an early start from Allen's Garage the coach drove down to Lyndhurst. There we had a stop to walk around the town and visit some of the sights, in particular the New Forest Museum and Visitor Centre and the fascinating parish church with its William Morris glass and Lord Leighton fresco. Many of us also took the opportunity to slip into a tea room for some mid-morning refreshment.
Back on the coach we continued our drive south to Lymington, passing through some beautiful countryside, including the village of Beaulieu. We reached Lymington in time for lunch. The town was busy with the traditional Saturday market and we had time to do what we wanted: some of us stayed exploring the town and market while others took a boat trip over to the Isle of Wight.
Late afternoon, we returned to the coach for the drive home back through the forest, all the time listening to Bob's local tit-bits of knowledge and gossip. Back in Tadley we all agreed that once again it had been a very successful TADS outing and thanked Bob for all his hard work organising the day.
Now where to next year...
Ian Burn
Programme Organiser 2006
We have no programme for NEXT YEAR as we still need a TADS Programme Organiser to take over from Bob Brown who has done this job for the last 20 years or so. There must be someone from our 80 or so members.
TADS safety policy - evacuation at meetings
So that we can conform to present fire regulations TADS committee have produced a safety policy document. Please look at this at future meetings to find YOUR nearest FIRE EXIT. So that the Evacuation Officer can check whether everyone is out of the hall we must know who is there in the first place. To this effect please either sign in (casuals) or cross off your name (members) on arrival.
History in the making
The ESSO petrol station on Mulfords Hill re-opened on 3 October 2005 after a complete refurbishment. It now incorporates a small café.