Turnpikes and Toll Bridges
The Dorchester turnpike road
The Causeway, Abingdon
Postcard by unknown publisher, franked 'Abingdon 23 March 1905'
Author's collection
Causeway between the Abingdon and Old Culham bridges
As we read in the introduction, the short stretch of road along the causeway between the Abingdon and Old Culham bridges was in fact the responsibility of the Culham, Abingdon and Fyfield Roads turnpike trust, and as far as we can determine it was never subject to a toll and no toll houses or gates were allowed to be erected along its short run. A raised footpath and cycleway run alongside from the end of Maud Hale's Bridge, with an old watercourse running next to it in the fields. The raised footpath continues after crossing the main road and carries on all the way to the Old Culham Bridge, still with the watercourse alongside which then joins the Thames beside the bridge.
This lovely old postcard which dates from about 1900 is looking towards Abingdon with the bridges just visible to the left of the hayrick on the original. It shows the old road which is now the busy A415, and the raised footpath to the right which changed very little over the years.
Also in our collection is a
hand-tinted postcard of the causeway
The Causeway and Bridge, Abingdon-on-Thames
Published by Baylis & Co., Abingdon-on-Thames
Franked 'Abingdon 21 July 1905'. Author's collection
published by Baylis & Co. of Abingdon at about the same time. Judging from the trees, the photograph was taken from almost the same spot, but nearer the middle of the road which is deserted except for an approaching pony and trap in the distance.
Map published by O.S. Office, Southampton in 1900
Reproduced with the permission of the NLS
A milestone is shown on this 6inch scale map which was published in 1900. The distance from Abingdon is given as being 1 mile, and that from Henley is 20 miles. The old watercourse can also be seen on the map running alongside the road to the river.
This milestone is still to be seen, sometimes almost hidden by ivy, on the verge at the point close to where the footpath which follows the abandoned road from the Old Culham Bridge now emerges alongside the main road into Abingdon (approximate map ref SU 50050 96040). It is described as being a Henley limestone pillar which is the same design as the one in Rose Hill (see the 'Introduction') and suggests that it was placed by the same turnpike trust rather than the trustees of the Fyfield turnpike, so possibly marking the boundary between the two. To the casual observer it is merely a stone pillar as the writing is illegible, but it does bear a cut benchmark which can still be seen. The raised footpath beside the main road can be see on the right of the photograph and doesn't seem to have changed a great deal in over a century.
Based on 6 inch map surveyed in 1875 and published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1883
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1899
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1899
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Culham tollhouse and turnpike
The former tollhouse at the start of the Dorchester turnpike road is situated at what was the junction of The Burycroft and the road over the old Culham Bridge. The Burycroft was extended slightly to meet the re-aligned main road when the new bridge was built in the 1920s. It ceased to be a tollhouse when the gate was moved in 1844/5 and was sold to the Morrell family estate. The house has been a private residence ever since and has seen several extensions and alteratuions over time. Now named Tollgate Cottage, it is thought to have been built as a small cottage with a front porch for the Henley and Dorchester Turnpike Trust in 1809.
The gate would have been across the road at the end of the bridge and controlled access not only to the Dorchester turnpike but also down The Burycroft to Culham village itself. This must have been the turnpike that Brunel refers to in a letter about his visit to Culham in 1837. The road leading onto the old bridge can just be seen to the right in this photograph of Tollgate Cottage. It continues, grassed over, behind the two bollards above which the light coloured stone bridge parapet is clearly visible.
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1899
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The Waggon & Horses circa 1900
Courtesy of Russell Dolton
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1899
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The Waggon & Horses circa 1900
Courtesy of Russell Dolton
Waggon and Horses sidegate
The Waggon & Horses (often spelt with one 'g') public house was situated on the main Abingdon Road just outside Culham village. This pub can be traced back to at least 1795 and it was rebuilt in the early 19th century but eventually closed in 2015. A short road ran from the main road alongside the pub down to a ferry which gave access to Sutton Courtenay across the Thames. This ferry was replaced by a private toll bridge which opened in 1807 and as part of that development the road between the two was updated and bears the name Tollgate Road. At about the same time, a new road was built which started close to the bridge and linked with Culham village and the village green. A side gate was duly installed at the Waggon and Horses to intercept traffic emerging from Tollgate Road onto the Dorchester turnpike road, probably becoming operational at the same time as the gate by Culham Bridge (1809).
Whilst this map was published well after the gate was removed it still clearly shows the sidegate across the road, it was removed in 1844/5 at the same time as the gate at Culham Bridge was relocated.
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Changes brought about by the railway
With the opening of the station at Culham, the turnpike Trust clearly had an interest in protecting its revenues. Jackson's Oxford Journal of Saturday 22nd June carried a notice dated 12th June, the very date that the Didcot to Oxford railway opened, which announced a meeting of the Trustees to be held on the 8th July at the Crown Inn, Benson.
...the Trustees present will take into consideration the propriety of making an order in writing for the removal of the present Toll Gate at Culham, upon the said roads, to a spot at or near the south east corner of a lane called Thame Lane, upon the same roads, and also of erecting a side gate or bar at or near the south end of Thame Lane aforesaid, pursuant to the laws now in force regulating Turnpike Roads.
The motion was carried and so the tollgate at Culham Bridge, together with the sidegate at the end of Tollgate Road, was removed.
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Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1883
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1883
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Culham tollhouse and turnpike
A small and simple brick tollhouse was built opposite the end of Thame Lane towards the end of 1844. As specified in the notice of the July meeting, a tollgate was erected across the turnpike road and a sidegate across Thame Lane, both under the control of the new tollhouse. These are shown on this map published in 1883 which was based on an 1875 survey.
The turnpike Trust was wound up and the turnpike gate removed in the early 1870s. It is uncertain whether the sidegate was removed some time previously as it does not appear on some maps. The tollhouse still stands, perilously close to the busy A415 road to Abingdon, having become a private residence.
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1881
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1881
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Clifton Hampden tollhouse and turnpike
The Clifton Hampden tollhouse was built in 1849 to a similar design to that at Thame Lane and is shown on this map, based on an 1878 survey, which was published in 1881. It is interesting to note that the map appears to show both a gate across the main road and a sidegate across High Street which leads down towards the bridge. High Street loops back up to meet what is now the A415 and used to be the road through the village until a straighter one was made across the higher ground in about 1790. Other maps of the period only show the main turnpike gate, so a side gate may have existed for only a short time if at all. A clue may be given in a notice carried by Jackson's Oxford Journal dated 5th May 1855 which advertises a meeting, again at the Crown Inn in Benson, where bids were to be invited for the operation of the Dorchester to Abingdon section of the Henley and Dorchester Turnpike Road.
...the Tolls and Duties arising and payable at the Toll Gate and Weighing Engine at Dorchester, and also the Tolls and Duties arising and payable at the Toll Gate at Culham, and also at the Side Gate or Bar at Clifton, upon the said Roads, will be PUT UP to PUBLIC BIDDING ...
Maybe this only serves to confuse the issue as, whilst it mentions a sidegate at Clifton, it makes no mention of a tollgate. Also, it mentions the tollgate at Culham, but not a sidegate. It is possible that the gate at Clifton, being an intermediate gate, was classed as a sidegate as opposed to the gates at Culham and Dorchester which were at either end of the turnpike road.
As with the Culham tollhouse, the Clifton tollhouse closed in the early 1870s when the turnpike Trust was wound up. The original building was incorporated many years ago into a business premises housing a blacksmith and farrier. Maintaining its historical link with the origins of the site, this line of business continues to the present day operating as the Turnpike Forge.
