Sandwich Toll Bridge, Kent

Sandwich Toll Bridge is a remarkably well-preserved Grade II listed structure over the River Stour in Kent.

A plaque on the bridge indicates there has been a tolled crossing, originally a ferry, in this rough location since 1127.

The historic Sandwich Toll Bridge was built in 1773 of Portland stone, according to Historic England, with the centre portion dated to 1892 to open as an iron swing bridge.

The 16th century barbican, a defence built to protect a gate or drawbridge, was part of the town's defences and guarded the bridge over the River Stour.

Both are of historical interest.

In 1962, the toll was 1 shilling (5p) for cars and 1/3 (6¼p) - 1/6 (7½p) for goods vehicles.

By 1965, it had become a significant bottleneck on the A256, as it could only carry a single lane of motor traffic and was the only crossing of the Stour in the local area.

A petition for a bypass was signed by 3,000 residents.

In 1973, a fund was set up to use excess monies from tolls to pay for local infrastructure.

Tolls were abolished the following year, with the final one being collected by the Mayor Councillor on 30 September.

A bypass of Sandwich opened in 1981, taking traffic away from the bridge, yet it continued to attract congestion as it was used as a rat run.

In 2018, the bridge began to suffer reliability problems.

While Kent County Council were investigating repairs, on 9 June 2019, the bridge was stuck open after shipping vessel passed through.

Following emergency work, it reopened on 24 June.

The bridge was expected to close again in February 2020 to all traffic, including pedestrians, but this was postponed.

The repairs eventually began in September 2020, closing the bridge for 11 weeks, costing the council half a million pounds.

Further maintenance, installing a bespoke gearbox on the bridge, continued the following year.

In medieval times and before, Sandwich was a main Kent and UK port, it was and still is, a principal Cinque Port.

Before the River Stour silted up, the river was wide and deep enough for great sailing ships.

Today, the ships have been replaced by smaller craft, residential and visitors moorings, but the many ancient buildings make Sandwich one of the best preserved medieval towns in England.

With its ancient buildings, nature reserves, golf courses, delightful country pubs, cafés and restaurants, the medieval Cinque Port of Sandwich is a must to visit for the discerning tourist.

Sandwich is also surrounded by small picturesque villages, such as Eastry, Ash, Worth and Woodnesborough & within easy reach are the nearby towns of Canterbury and the Port of Dover.

Toll bridges / houses in England

In 1840, according to the Turnpike Returns in Parliamentary Papers, there were more than 5,000 tollhouses operating in England.

These were sold off in the 1880s, when the turnpikes were closed.

Many were demolished but several hundred have survived for residential or other use, with distinctive features of the old tollhouses still visible.

The gates were often at points where it was least likely that horse riders or horse drawn vehicles could avoid paying the toll e.g. bridges and crossroads. 

They were usually located outside urban areas to avoid charging local businesses. 

Early toll houses were built in the same style as local cottages in the area but by the 19th century a distinctive style evolved.   

Many toll houses resembled the lodges built at the entrance to large estates and those built in the 1820s had polygonal fronts, which gave the toll collectors good views up and down the roads. 

Toll houses were usually built close to the road and many of them had porches, which jutted out into the road.  

On major roads grander toll houses were built e.g. with castellations on them to impress wealthy travellers. 

The isolated location of most toll houses meant that they were vulnerable to attack by thieves and highwaymen.

Therefore the windows often had shutters and/or bars on them and the houses also had built-in safes.

 Toll houses were often built to a higher standard that most of the local vernacular cottages, in order to attract honest and reliable toll collectors.

The turnpike road network reached its greatest extent in the 1840s when there were over 20,000 miles of roads controlled by over 1,000 trusts. 

Traffic on the turnpike roads declined from the 1840s as the railway network developed. 

Most turnpike trusts were wound up in the 1870s and the toll houses were sold off. 

The last turnpike trust to be wound up was one on Anglesey in 1895. 

Responsibility for the roads was taken over by Highway Boards and later County Councils.

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