No 82 -  Cauldon Toll House

Extract from Thomas Hargreaves map of 1832 
- showing the development of Stoke Road -
the Trent & Mersey canal is shown in blue

the Toll Gate is shown at the bottom of the map 

"Thousands of folk pass this newsagent's shop on the Hanley-Stoke road without ever realising that it was originally built for the purpose of collecting road tolls. This particular tollhouse, then surrounded by fields, was probably built in the early 18th century, when the expense for road repair work was transferred from the parish to those who actually used the roads.

The administration of such establishments was originally the responsibility of well-known citizens, but, towards the end of the century, the Turnpike Trustees let or sold toll houses to the highest bidder. The long hours of a tollhouse keeper were more than compensated for by the heavy taxes levied on travellers. The charge for a four-wheeled vehicle was one shilling, and a two-wheeled, sixpence; the only exemptions were His Majesty's Mail, the military, and persons on foot.

The Potteries' toll charges were some of the most expensive, and the conditions of the roads among the most dreadful. Most towns dismissed toll charges in the early 1860s, but the Potteries continued much later: the last one, in Millfield Road, Longton, was still operating until 1934."

Neville Malkin 22nd May 1974