TURNPIKE ROADS

There were two Turnpike Roads across Bordesley in 1760 and a third, Warwick Road, began just over the south bound. That was always a bad way, due to the number of brooks it had to cross, so that the Stratford Road was the preferred route to the county town and capital until Thomas Telford's improvements to Coventry Road early last century. The Stratford and Warwick Roads were two of the five earliest highways to be taken over: a single Trust acquired them in 1726 as the Birmingham to Edgehill and the Birmingham to Warmington Turnpikes. Coventry Road was turnpiked two decades later, when all three were said to be 'ruinous'. Clearly little had been done to improve the other two ! In 1768 Coventry Road was described as 'exceedingly bad and even dangerous'.

The worst part, other than the gorge where it met the Stratford Road, was that from Small Heath Park to the Cole, shown by Tomlinson as a wide irregular strip where travellers had continually sought firmer ground on either side, and which was a morass in wet weather. Early turnpikes had merely sought to improve existing highways by filling in the worst holes and digging ditches.

The grudging labour of local people was still used by the Trust engineers. Hutton was characteristically scathing about the condition of all three roads through Bordesley in 1780, (which then included Alcester Turnpike). There were later improvements, paid for by higher tolls, particularly when canal flyboats threatened stage coaches and wagons with competition. On Stratford Road a bend round Foul Lake (from Henley Street to Farm Road) was abandoned, the stagnant pool was infilled, and a causeway made straight across its site.

The junction gorge was gradually reduced, the holloways on both sides of Bordesley Brook were filled in, and causeways were made on the approaches to Hay Mill and Spark Brook fords. A firm if narrow raised road of graded gravel layers was made down the middle of the boggy swaths. Alcester Turnpike began at a tollgate at the bottom of Bradford Street in 1767. Other gates within Deritend and Bordesley were at High Street bridge, at Skirts Lane and Camp Hill, at Ladypool Lane where the early Georgian Angel inn survives, and at the Green Lanes junction. Each had a tall fence and gate across each road, a keeper's house, and usually a signpost. Milestones were at Small Heath Gate, near Rylands Farm, and at Sparkbrook Gate (115 miles from London).

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