There are several types of toll houses to be found. The main category
being those on roads which were used to collect charges from the road users to pay for the repair and improvement of the road
or highway. Other toll houses were used to collect market tolls, tolls for crossing bridges and in some cases collecting fees
for using canals. If you are lucky you may find a toll house which still displays a list of charges on the outside.
America has a rich history of toll or turnpike roads which opened up the country in the late 18th and the 19th century. Some
old toll houses or booths have been rescued and moved into parks or museums. There are some interesting websites worth
looking at : Stratford, Connecticut
Obsolete toll booths
Braddock Road (now Route 40)
Henry Ford Museum
Many modern European roads were originally constructed as toll roads in order to recoup the costs of construction. In 14th
century England, some of the most heavily used roads were repaired with money raised from tolls. Turnpike trusts were
established in England beginning in 1706, and were ultimately responsible for the maintenance and improvement of most main
roads in England and Wales, until they were gradually abolished from the 1870s. Most trusts improved existing roads, but some
new ones, usually only short stretches of road, were also built. Thomas Telford's Holyhead road (now the A5 road) is
exceptional as a particularly long new road, built in the early 19th century. There was a similar pattern of charging tolls
in Europe and hopefully old toll houses still exist.
In Britain there is a wealth of toll houses still in existence around the country. Examples of which can be found on sites on
the internet:
The Woodsetton Toll House
Darwin Country
Turnpikes & Toll Houses