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Things changed slowly until the Turnpikes and Tolls came along, these new road surfaces were better and maintained by roadmen, bridges were built over gullies and ravines with better routes and this meant travel times reduced significantly, larger carts and coaches came into use which couldn’t be used on the old tracks, the first toll gate recorded in Whaley was 1724, the precise site of this toll gate remains a mystery it is just recorded as ‘’on the Cheshire side as near the Bridge as may be’’ John Warrens diary talks about the reconstruction of the toll house but which toll he was referring to or where it stood is not clear, as more roads were turnpiked the toll gates grew, High Peak Harry has indicated that there was a Toll house near the Station on Whaley Lane this of course was part of the old Buxton – Manchester route, and would have operated before The Renewal act of 1764 which authorised work to be carried out on routes between Longsight and Sparrowpit this includes the route followed by the current road to Disley today, John Warren again ''1803 the Turn Pike Road was Maked From Disley to Whaley ''this doesn’t appear on any map prior to 1812 it was changed basically to bring the roads along the valley as they are today and away from the high routes for an easier gradient, which is exactly opposite to the way roads were constructed before, even the Romans preferred high routes, less trees, fewer obstacles to cross and safer against attack.
The portion of Derbyshire map by John Carey shows just the old route from Buxton to Whaley c 1750 Edited by user 12 September 2010 17:48:06(UTC)
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Map from post #21 Norm attached the following image(s):
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The meeting of the Turnpike roads Disley 1835
One of the few places where two roads both coming from and going to the same destinations cross at 90 degrees. shallcross attached the following image(s): |
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The first turnpike road over Long Hill was completed around 1780 and a toll gate was recorded for Long Hill in 1793 but its exact location is not known, the toll house at Fernilee was built in 1826 and was situated at the end of Elnor Lane, from here the road ran in front of where the village Hall stood, up behind Goyt Vale Cottages then up Long Field onwards to join the current carriage way at the bottom of the long straight, when you reached Rake End corner, the original turnpike carried on down the valley and up the other side, to the top of Long Hill then following the current road, so why make a new road well one of the reasons was that a good part of the old Roman Road was above the snow line, the winters were much more severe than today and there were many weeks when the road was impassable through snow & Ice and the road surface was in need of constant repairs
This first turnpike on Long Hill was constructed by John Metcalf of Knaresbourgh Yorkshire, known as Blind Jack he contracted smallpox at the age of six leaving him blind, I think he must have had some sight as he was very good at the design and layout of roads and was responsible for many routes in Lancashire & Yorkshire he also designed part of the Whaley to Macclesfield turnpike.
If you have never walked the old road then do so and have a look over the wall near where the Toll Bar stood at the end of Elnor Lane and just before what was Fernilee Village Hall and see what an obstacle the road crosses, you don’t notice as you whizz by in a car but it becomes more obvious what you paid for on this toll, also beyond the top gate on the Long Field past the old Quarry and the watering hole on your left ( I am sure many a thirsty horse took a drink here) there is another substantial bridge, you can begin to see how difficult these natural barriers were to cross and what a difference these roads made to travel between Whaley and Buxton another thing to take into account is that the road from Chapel to Dove Holes through Barmoor Clough didn’t open until 1801 so this turnpike up Long Hill was, as roads in the area go at that period ground breaking. |
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Photo from post #24 Norm attached the following image(s):
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Photo from post #26 Norm attached the following image(s):
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umtali wrote:
Sorry Norm but its….
A shame to spoil an interesting picture like “The Bridge Builders” I have left a better version where my website used to be, it will also give a space between the Errwood image which will look much more presentable.
(He’s away at the moment).
You can do it.
Because it had my name in I went to have look to-night. And of course it was not there. When will I ever learn?
Please** I ask you for the last time leave my name out of your inane posts. 
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Sorry Norm that was not intentional provocation I had the impression (mistakenly) that the post as commanded by - - - was being ignored.
I have checked a few times to see if my version was being used.
As I am working on a new site (unconnected) I am changing files on a daily basis I have now re installed the “Bridge” image for a few days.
Apologies again.
umtali
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The second alterations of the road completed around 1824 left it much as it is today with the addition of the Horwich End through Fernilee portion, then winding its way up in front of Goyt Vale Cottages and rejoining the original route where the long straight is now, following the more gradual incline from Rake End Corner around by White Hall Lodge, these alterations were once again improvements to combat the rise in larger and grander traffic using the road, this portion of the Highway was attracting many visitors to the Spa at Buxton which after the building of The Crescent in 1784 was developing into a major resort for the treatment of many ailments and coach travel was the only way for the wealthy Infirmed to get there, even when the railway arrived in 1857 it terminated at Whaley it wasn’t until 1863 that the line was completed to Buxton, also from 1841 (Penny Post) the need for greater speed with the developments in the Postal system and the carriage of parcels called for easier travel and better upkeep of roads between Derby & Manchester.
As a margin note Buxton had two Railway stations with two different lines one LNWR to Manchester - West and the other The Midland to Millers Dale – East, they both opened on the same day Saturday 30th May 1863 such was the rivalry, they stood side by side and through the influence of Sir Joseph Paxton both had the same gable end with the glass fan window facade, only one of which can be seen today, so from that time you could catch a train from Whaley Bridge to either side of the country and travel in relative comfort at a reasonable cost, so began Buxton’s boom years.
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Photo from post #30 Norm attached the following image(s):
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There are traces of other roads and routes throughout the Goyt Valley but these are mainly either farm or mining use you can still see an abundance of gateposts which once led to a farm or field, and cart tracks to mines, one easy to spot is on the banking opposite Rake End corner on Long Hill this runs both ways across the banking to a drift mine down near the stream, the rails coming out used to be clearly visible, these tracks won’t be seen for much longer though, as there has been a lot of tree planting which will of course obscure this part of the Goyts history,. there is an ancient route we haven’t mentioned which is now a footpath this runs the full length of the valley along the skyline on the opposite side to the Roman route, coming from beyond The Cat & Fiddle along Stake Side, Shining Tor, The Tors, Cats Tor then Windgather Rocks and Taxal Edge.
Some of the more modern roads have changed as well as in the photo of Fernilee before they altered the curve and also before Fernilee Tip.
You can see the Cromford High Peak Rail Line between the walls in the foreground. |
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Just about to turn off.
Photo from post #32. Norm attached the following image(s):
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Along all these high routes the severity of the weather undoubtedly took its toll and there are numerous tales of travellers freezing to death, either through loosing their way, one to many at a hostelry or just getting caught out by the cold, it wasn’t unknown when the stage coaches were running that a passenger travelling on the outside would be discovered frozen to death on arrival, one incident is recorded by the wayside on the road from Saltersford to Rainow / Bollington this stone on the verge has writing too both sides
One side reads -
HERE JOHN TURNER WAS CAST AWAY IN A HEAVY SNOW STORM IN THE NIGHT IN OR ABOUT THE YEAR 1755
The other -
THE PRINT OF A WOMANS SHOE WAS FOUND BY HIS SIDE IN THE SNOW WERE HE LAY DEAD
Another is recorded as John Warrens Diary tells us
1860 Saturday night Jan 21st Robert Edge of Gite Cloff (Goyts Clough) was starved to death between Buxton & Gite Cloff he left a wife and 7 children. shallcross attached the following image(s): |
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Another view in Errwood from 1994
The Drive from Errwood Hall Edited by user 03 October 2010 21:36:14(UTC)
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In Yorkshire during the 14th century there was a breed of clean legged horses, bay in colour which were the general purpose horses of the time carrying pack and pillion They had always been used as a good strong workhorse by the people but no one realy knew their origins.
They carried the goods of the Chapmen and as a result initially became known as Chapman horses. The name Cleveland Bay came from their colour and the association with the Cleveland district of North Yorkshire, these horses were well suited to the hard conditions of the Pack Horse trail and bred to be not to small as to damage goods on bankings and walls etc, but not to tall as to be difficult to load and unload The picture shows a fine example of a Clevelend Bay Stallion aptly named Chapman from 1960 . shallcross attached the following image(s): |
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This is a photograph of a guide stoop, as disscused in an earlier posting this is still standing at Beeley. shallcross attached the following image(s): |
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I have just aquired a 1724 copy of the Act of Parliament concerning the building of The Turnpike Road between the top of Sherbrook Hill Buxton (what is now the Road to Harpur Hill) through Stockport to Manchester, this of course includes Whaley Bridge, I will list some of the more interesting parts of the act concerning Whaley later but not all of it, it does run to 22 pages, The act took two years to go through Parliament at Westminster starting on the 9th of October 1722 with the Act coming into force on the 12th of November 1724. but it made me consider the route which I had just taken for granted and the surroundings in 1724 and whilst reading I am thinking that many of the threads on this forum seem detatched from each other but of course they are all linked in some way, for instance The excellent thread about Mass Trespass from RSS and the unrest caused by the railway trying to limit access across the Cromford High Peak Line and people upholding old rights of way, well much of this must stem from the fact that The incline is built not only on the route of the 1724 turnpike but the old road before which of course involves long standing rights of way, this is also the route taken by the Ill fated William Wood years later.
Imagine in 1725 travelling on the new turnpike road from Disley arriving at Stoneheads and looking down into the valley below, how very different from today’s view, few buildings no Canal (1805), no Railway (1857), no Market Street just a few scattered houses/farms, Agriculture would be evident and there would be many more trees, remnants of the great forest of the 1400s, in fact the only thing that would be very much the same is the River.
I asked the question earlier in this thread about the Toll Gates and if anyone knew where they would be, well it states in this act that at Whaley Bridge the toll gates to be sited as near to the Bridge as is convenient in the County of Cheshire, so somewhere on the current Bridge street near the Vets, I am not aware there is any evidence of a Toll House left but I think maybe not, certainly the other side of Bridge Street is where the Corn Mill stood so that has changed completely, the other Toll Gate en route was to be sited at a place known as Half way House between Stockport and Manchester. shallcross attached the following image(s): |
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Good afternoon, Shallcross,
This promises to be a very interesting piece of work from you.
Toll Houses, as I am sure you know, can be identified by the corner being cut off to allow the Toll Bar keeper to look both up and down the road. This means that instead of a 90 degree angle you have two 45 degree angles and the roof then has to have 2 hips usually covered with a lead flashing. The best example in Whaley Bridge is Horwich Lodge but others certainly bear signs that they were once Toll Houses. One that has had me puzzled for some time is the first house on Whaley Lane. It is on the old turnpike road and is in the perfect position to operate.
The other one that also has all the hallmarks of a Toll House is the ‘Adeva’ shop at the start of Old Road; once again perfectly placed and the construction is certainly in keeping.
In the witness statements during the William Wood inquest it is stated that a man, standing by the Forge, saw the 3 individuals run down Whaley Lane and turn right towards Chapel. He saw them as far as the Toll gates.
He couldn’t have seen all the way to Adeva so the Toll must have been about where the old Nat West Bank was.
Interesting stuff.
R. S-S
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This "toll houses have a corner cut off" business - it is clearly not always the case.
If you have a look at post #39 in the "photos of buggy" thread, it looks like a normal rectangular footprint building with a porch at the front.
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