The Metropolitan Turnpike Trust (officially the Commissioners of the Turnpike Roads in the Neighbourhood of the Metropolis North of the River Thames) was the body responsible for maintaining the main roads in the north of the

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

of London from 1827 to 1872. The commissioners took over from fourteen existing turnpike trusts, and were empowered to levy tolls to meet the costs of road maintenance.

Creation

There was pressure from business interests in north London, who found that the numerous

toll-gate A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

s throughout the area were interfering with the passage of goods and conduct of trade. John Loudon McAdam persuaded Parliament to consolidate all the turnpike roads in the London area under one Metropolitan Turnpike Trust in 1825, to which he was appointed Surveyor-General. The Metropolitan Trust was created by a private act of Parliament (4 Geo IV c.142). The fourteen trusts consolidated were: *

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

* Uxbridge * Marylebone *

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...

* Kilburn * Highgate and

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

* City Road * Stamford Hill and Green Lanes * Old Street * Hackney *

Lea Bridge Lea Bridge is a district in the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It lies 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The area it takes its name from a bridge built over the River ...

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

The total length of roads was 129¼ miles, and Sir James McAdam was appointed General Surveyor of the Metropolis Turnpike Roads north of the Thames.

Commissioners

The commissioners initially consisted of the members of parliament for the City of London,

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

, and County of Middlesex along with forty

peers Peers may refer to: People * Donald Peers * Edgar Allison Peers, English academician * Gavin Peers * John Peers, Australian tennis player * Kerry Peers * Mark Peers * Michael Peers * Steve Peers * Teddy Peers (1886–1935), Welsh international ...

and

gentlemen A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

named in the 1826 Act. Any vacancies occurring after this were to be filled by co-option.

Metropolitan Turnpikes Act 1829

In 1829 a further, public, act was passed which placed the commissioners on a statutory basis, and gave them increased powers. They were empowered to construct three new roads:Metropolitan Turnpikes Act 1829 (c.59) #From Stamford Hill to Camden Town (the present Seven Sisters Road/Camden Road) #A short realignment of the main Hertford Road at Enfield Highway (the former route becoming "Old Road") #A road from the Lea Bridge Road in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

to the main London –

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

Turnpike Road: the modern Woodford New Road. A number of roads in central London were declared highways and transferred from the care of the commissioners to the local parish authorities. The roads remaining under the trust were organised into sixteen districts, with different tolls applied, and the funds gathered being applied to the maintenance of the roads in the district: *First District: Roads in Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Fulham, Ealing and Hanwell, including The Great Western or Old Brentford Road from Knightsbridge to

. *Second District: The remainder of the Great West road from Brentford to Bedfont along with other main roads in

, Hounslow, Teddington and Twickenham. *Third District: Comprised the Uxbridge Road west from Tyburn to the seventh mile stone, and Church Lane, Kensington. *Fourth District: Included the remainder of the Uxbridge Road, and the present

Hanger Lane Hanger Lane is a major road in Ealing, London, England. The majority of the road forms the westernmost part of the A406 North Circular Road, running north from the A4020 Uxbridge Road at Ealing Common to the A40 Western Avenue at the Hanger Lan ...

/ Gunnersbury Avenue. *Fifth District: A projected road from the Uxbridge Road at

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

to Turnham Green on the Great Western Road. *Sixth District: The road from Paddington to Harrow-on-the-Hill. *Seventh District: The modern Maida Vale and Kilburn High Roads. *Eighth District: The Edgware Road (running from Kilburn in the Seventh District to Edgware). *Ninth District: The modern

Euston Road Euston Road is a road in Central London that runs from Marylebone Road to King's Cross. The route is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary. It is named after Euston Hall, the family ...

with other main roads in St Pancras,

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

and Kentish Town. *Tenth District: The City Road *Eleventh District: The road from

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

to Lower Edmonton *Twelfth District: The continuation of the road in the Eleventh District from Lower Edmonton to the

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

/Middlesex boundary at Cheshunt. *Thirteenth District: The Green Lanes Road from Newington Green to Enfield. *Fourteenth District: The Seven Sisters Road *Fifteenth District: main roads in Hackney and

*Sixteenth District: Lea Bridge Road and the new road to Woodford.

Competition from the railways

In 1838 the trust gathered tolls to the value of £83,497. By 1840 the amount had declined to £67,475 as a direct result of the opening of railways in the capital. The commissioners were forced to look for economies, and in 1841 they announced that they would cease to light the roads, and offered the light fittings to the parish vestries along the roads free of charge. In some parts of the metropolis the vestries refused, or were unable, to take over the lighting. In spite of the declining finances, the commissioners were given more responsibilities: the New North Road from Highbury to

was placed under their care in 1849, and in 1850 the roads of the Marylebone and Finchley Turnpike Trust.

Ending of the turnpikes in the Metropolis

By the 1850s the unpopular tolls were under attack. A parliamentary Toll Reform Committee was formed, and in 1857 it issued a report. In it, it was pointed out the commission itself was unrepresentative, it contained four MPs from the City of London, which was untolled, and two from Westminster, which had only one gate. However the constituencies of

Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...

, Marylebone and Tower Hamlets, which were heavily tolled, had no representation. The campaign eventually led to the enactment of the Metropolis Roads Amendment Act 1863 (c.78). From 1 July 1864 the tollgates were to be removed from most of the roads, with administration passing to the incorporated vestries and district boards established by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. The commissioners retained control of arterial roads outside the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works: *The "Great Western Road" from the Hammersmith boundary to Isleworth. *The "Uxbridge Road" from Hammersmith boundary to Uxbridge. *The "Harrow Road" from the Hampstead boundary to Harrow. *The "Kilburn Road" from the Hampstead boundary to Sparrows Herne in Hertfordshire *The "Green Lanes Road" outside the Metropolis *The "Seven Sisters Road" from the Islington boundary *The "Stamford Hill Road" from the Hackney boundary to Enfield *The "Lea Bridge Road" from the Hackney boundary to Snaresbrook.

Abolition

The commissioners went out of existence on 1 July 1872, when section 13 of the Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1871 (C.115) came into effect. The roads under the care of the trust passed to the various parish vestries on that date.

References

{{Reflist Turnpike roads in the United Kingdom Roads in London 1827 establishments in England 1872 disestablishments in England 19th century in London Transport policy in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1827 Organizations disestablished in 1872