TRANSPORT in the 18th

1
TRANSPORT in the 18th 19th Century

• Roads

2
Road Transport in the 18th C.

• No-one had built proper roads since Roman times.
• Roads were just muddy dirt tracks which flooded
  in winter and formed ruts in summer.
• Road travel was very slow, dangerous and
  expensive.
• Packhorses were used because carts got stuck.
• It was better to take bulky or heavy goods by sea
  or by river.

3
The Statute for Mending the Highways 1555

• A law was passed to try to improve the roads.
• It stated that the local villagers had to repair
  the roads.
• Poorer men had to give up six days labour to work
  on the roads unpaid.
• Richer villagers were expected to provide
  materials.

4
Failure of Statute Labour

• The Parish system of Statute Labour failed
  because -
• The men were not paid
• They had no skills
• They resented the job
• The local magistrates did not enforce the law

5
Turnpike Trusts

• These were businesses set up by local landowners
  and factory owners.
• The Trust applied to Parliament for permission to
  take over a stretch of road.
• A Turnpike Act gave the Trust the right to put up
  a toll gate and charge travellers to use their
  stretch of road.
• A Toll Keeper was employed and lived in a Toll
  House next to the Toll Gate

6
Advantages and Disadvantages of Turnpikes

• Advantages
• Hundreds of miles of good roads were built
• Most towns were connected by good roads
• Road vehicles improved
• Stage coach and Mail services started up
• News, business, money, produce and industrial
  goods could go by road, helping the Industrial
  and Agricultural Revolutions
• There was work for engineers, toll keepers, Inns
  and coaches..

• Disadvantages
• Turnpikes were expensive to use
• They were on average only 10 miles long
• Lots of stops to pay tolls
• There was no national system
• It took decades to complete the routes
• They were unpopular with local people who
  sometimes attacked them

7
The Great EngineersThomas Telford1757-1834

• Built his roads like the Romans with big
  foundations
• Cambered his roads and ensured good drainage
• Famous for the London to Holyhead road and the
  Menai Suspension Bridge
• BUT his roads were expensive to build
• Also famous for canals

8
John Loudon Macadam1756-1836

• The most important road builder
• Much cheaper method made him popular with
  Turnpike Trusts
• Did not use large foundations like Telford
• Ensured the ground was firm and well drained
• Then built smooth, cambered surface
• To this day a good road is said to be
  Macadamised

9
Cross-section of Telford and McAdam Roads
10
Other Famous Road Builders

• Blind Jack Metcalfe (of Knaresborough)
• Built roads in North of England
• Used camber and drainage
• Famous for intuition e.g. felt old Roman road
  under ground!
• Famous for innovative use of local materials e.g.
  used heather to help drainage.

• General George Wade
• Built military roads into the Scottish Highlands
• Roads built in 1720s
• Roads built to allow army access to the remote
  Highlands where rebel Jacobite clans could hide
• These clans had risen in rebellion in 1715
• Wades road helped to suppress them