Leeds and Otley news on today's date (Nov 1) in 1873.

[Leodian]

The following is from John Mayhall's 'Annals of Yorkshire':-November 1 1873. "The toll-bars situated between Leeds and Otley were abolished this night. There were three toll-bars on the road."I wonder where they were and what the toll charge was?

[Si]

There is a toll booth in Otley at the junction of Leeds Road/Gay Lane/East Chevin Road. It's next to the closed Yeoman pub, and is now a private house. Looking at old maps, there appears to have been a sister building on the opposite side of the road, severely narrowing the carriageway. This must have been demolished when the Co-Op (now a launderette) was built, circa 1900.There was another near Bramhope at the junction of Leeds Road and Old Pool Bank, by the quarry railway bridge abutments. There is a modern sign on it which says something like Toll Bar House.I assume the third toll-bar was at the next major junction on the road somewhere towards Leeds. The Leeds to Otley turnpike was opened in the 1840s, so was only charging a toll for about thirty years.I've no idea what they charged.Edit: Wikipedia says that there were toll-bars at Woodhouse Lane, Otley and (later) Headingley Village, but these were established (by the Leeds-Otley Turnpike Trust, 1755) when the existing road was improved, and before what is now the A660 was built. This was commisioned in 1836, the Act Of Parliament was passed in 1837, and the new road opened in 1842.        

[biofichompinc]

Have a look at the 'history' paragraph on this Wikipedia page....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A660_road

[Si]

salt 'n pepper wrote: Have a look at the 'history' paragraph on this Wikipedia page....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A660_road Thanks S'n'P. I was editing my post as you typed!However, it does say on Wikipedia that the toll was abolished in 1867, not 1873, as stated by John Mayhall.         

[biofichompinc]

Cheers Si.More interesting snippets on these two sites….. http://www.johnhearfield.com/History/Ad ... rt/Mention of twopence on one of them, but I think this refers to another toll bar altogether.This is perhaps the best bit though….Three months later, a mob estimated to be 200 strong demolished the turnpike at Pool, then set off down the road to do the same at Harewood Bridge. But it happened that the trustees had been meeting at Arthington Hall and the two groups confronted each other at Arthington. Eventually, the threats of the rich men on horseback overcame the anger of the poor men on foot, and the mob dispersed. They tried again the following day, though.In the month of June 1753 an attempt was made by a large body of rioters to pull down several of the new toll bars. The first attack was made on the bar near Harewood Bridge, but this was successfully resisted by Mr. Edwin Lascelles, afterwards the first Lord Harewood, who armed his tenants and workmen, repulsed the rioters, and after some skirmishing took about thirty of them prisoners.The next bit is the icing on the cake.....Lascelles was not a man to let public opinion get in his way. When he built his splendid new house at Harewood a few years later, he insisted that the village of Harewood should be knocked down and rebuilt further away, and also that the turnpike should be re-routed so that it didn't go right past his front door.    

[Leodian]

Thanks all for your very interesting replies.

[Jogon]

I've allus been told this was one =http://goo.gl/maps/dIWdV[EDIT] added 1800 map pre "new" Otley Rd.    

[Cardiarms]

The Headingley Village tollbar was situated outside Costa Coffe and on the Arndale and Headingley Methodist Church, approx.

[raveydavey]

Cardiarms wrote: The Headingley Village tollbar was situated outside Costa Coffee Very convenient - they thought of everything didn't they?

[Leodian]

raveydavey wrote: Cardiarms wrote: The Headingley Village tollbar was situated outside Costa Coffee Very convenient - they thought of everything didn't they? That made me