THE TURNPIKE ROAD
The Tonbridge Turnpike was the first stretch of turnpike road in Kent. This covered the 16 miles of the London-Hastings road, Sevenoaks and Flimwetl in Sussex (known at that time as Woodgate), via Tunbridge Wells. It was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1709. An Act of 1749 authorised the 12 mile extension to Farnborough Well (at the north end of the village) as to Sevenoaks Turnpike. Tollgates on this stretch were at Pratts Bottom (originally called 'Locks Bottom', a campaign by some residents around for a further change to Charnwood' was unsuccessful), and Dunton Green. Curiously, 'Farnborough Well', which one would assume was a well-known landmark, does not feature on any maps of this period and its exact location is unclear. Wellbrook Wood, remembered by the adjacent Wellbrook Road, gives a strong indication as to its whereabouts; as does the of the water pump beside the main road next to Brook House; which disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the 1970s. Wells were later frequently covered over and converted to pumps on health grounds. Whilst hygiene was not fully understood in previous centuries, the presence of a dead animal dumped in a well was known as inconducive to long life.
The original road up Star Hill was East of the present route, and survived as a footpath until recently. The sharp bends in the road today at the top of Polhill, where Star Hill Road meets London Road, remains as a legacy of the original alignment. The footpath closed when the grounds of Fort Halstead were extended, although the present route was adopted in 1773, long before the Victorian fort was built as part of a string of forts along the North Downs to defend London from invasion
The 1781 New Cross Turnpike Act authorised the final 11 mile section from Lewisham to Farnborough Well, thus completing turnpiking of the entire route between London and Hastings and London and Rye.
Branching off the main road at Bromley, Westerham road was turnpiked under the 1767 Westerham and Edenbridge Turnpike Act, which despite its title covered the longer 24 mile stretch between Bromley Cornmon and Hartfield, broadly following the alignment of the old Roman Road.
 |
The number of tollgates on a route was determined by the number of side turnings, the Trusts being anxious to ensure travellers using even short stretches did not do so without paying. The 16 mile section between Sevenoaks and Woodgate had no less than 16 gates, whilst the 12 miles between Sevenoaks and Farnborough had only two, one being at Pratts Bottom. |
| Pratts Bottom Turnpike Gate |
By 1809 it was necessary for the New Cross Turnpike to raise income from tolls, so in that year a tollgate was erected at Farnborough Well. To reduce the distance between gates from ten to seven miles this gate was, in 1839, moved nearer to Bromley. The southern gate was now at 'Bromley Common' Masons Hill just North of Brick Kiln Lane (now Homesdale Road). To speed journey times, tickets could be purchased to cover several sections, avoiding the need for travellers to pay at each gate.
The 1766 General Turnpike Act made it a legal requirement for Turnpike Trusts to erect milestones at every mile along every road, these could be iron rather than actual stone, or a combination of the two materials. Few of these milestones have survived to the present day, being vulnerable to traffic accidents or road widening schemes, or just old age, although locally we are well represented, with one in Farnborough High Street and one on Farnborough Common at Locks Bottom. Others are at Trinity Church, Bromley Common and in Bromley High Street, all have being restored by the council in recent times.
Changing the Route
The continuing growth of traffic on the main road highlighted the problem of the steep gradient of Morants Court Hill, (latterly, and now, known as Star Hill after the now closed public house of that name situated on the hill), and consideration was given to building an alternative route. In 1810 a Turnpike Act was granted to authorise an entirely new road to be built from Shoreham to Greenstead Green (Green Street Green) via Well Hill. For some reason this road was never constructed and a year later the Act was repealed.In its place came a new application to Parliament to authorise a new road from the foot of Star Hill up Polhill and through what is now Badgers Mount to rejoin the original route at the foot of Rushmore Hill at Pratts Bottom. At Polhill, which takes its name from the local landowners the Polhill family the road had to be cut into the side of the hill requiring an engineering feat for 1836. At the top of the hill the new road crossed the ancient road from Otford to London via Twitton, Halstead and Pratts Bottom.
Various other improvements were carried out in the early part of the 19th century, including, and of great significance for our area, the building of a new road from Farnborough to Green Street Green. This road, now known as Farnborough Hill, being built by 1819, was one of several major civil engineering works on the Turnpike roads to help relieve unemployment following the Napoleonic War
Decline of the Turnpikes
The coming of the railways had a major impact on all but local traffic,
which mostly switched to rail. Toll roads throughout the country went
into decline as it was no longer viable to collect tolls and maintain
the roads, which soon fell into a poor state of repair. The New Cross
Turnpike Trust's tollgates were demolished in 1865, the one at Bromley
having ceased to collect tolls after I November 1865. The road south of
Farnborough is thought to have remained in the care of the Trust until
1872, although an Act of Parliament in 1864 authorised the abolition of
tolls within a 50 mile radius of London. The toll gate at Pratts Bottom
was removed in about 1865, although the former toll keeper's house on
the green at the foot of Rushmore Hill (the site now occupied by the
roundabout) survived until 1927. The tollgate at New Cross is
immortalised, having given its name 'New Cross Gate' to the area in
which it was situated. Bromley District Highways Board was formed after
the resulting Highways Act of 1862, and took over responsibility, from
the local parishes, of the road network. Responsibility for the main
roads (todays 'A' roads), later passed to the County Council at
Maidstone. Much later in response to the ever increasing traffic congestion, especially at weekends in summer, Farnborough by-pass was built in 1927 from Penfold's Corner in front of Farnborough Schools, to rejoin the original route at the end of Cudham Lane. This involved among other things the demolition of the bakery at Farnborough Green, a replacement named The New Bakery being built opposite Orchard Road between the Fire Station that housed the horse-drawn hose cart, and the scout hut. Brickfield Farm was split into two, one of the wooden barns was moved out of the way to reside with the others on the north side of the new road. At Green Street Green, the original 'Rose & Crown' and several cottages clustered around the village green were demolished, although the roundabout to replace the original crossroads was a later addition in the late 1930s. It was not until 1932 that Farnborough Parish Council's suggested name of 'Farnborough Way' was adopted for the name of the new by-pass; likewise 'Main Road' or 'London Road' between Tubbenden Lane and Green Street Green became 'Farnborough Hill', and between the top of Plough Hill and Farnborough Green became 'Farnborough Common'
Between 1894 and April 1934, Locksbottom, Farnborough, Green Street Green and Orpington were administered as part of Bromley Rural District Council. North of Plough Hill, Bromley Common came under Bromley Urban District Council which also replaced Bromley District Highways Board which covered Bromley Common and the town of Bromley. In November 1903 Bromley gained Borough status, becoming Bromley Borough Council. From April 1934, Orpington was promoted in importance with the setting up of Orpington Urban District Council, taking with it much of what had been previously Bromley RDC.
In 1965 the London Borough of Bromley was formed by the amalgamation of Orpington UDC, Beckenham and Penge UDC, parts of Chislehurst & Sidcup UDC and Bromley UDC. To pacify local dissension from those who felt aggrieved that the interests of Bromley would dominate the new authority, the alternative names of 'Kentgate' and 'Ravensboume' were unsuccessfully proposed by Orpington and Beckenham respectively. Knockholt residents were later granted their wish to vote on their 'ownership' and opted to transfer their village to Sevenoaks District Council and thereby to return to the County Of Kent.
adapted from an original article by Graham Sanders
ROADS AND RAILWAYS