Axminster Turnpike Road                             (updated 24th Sept 2013)

Formed from the First District of the Penn Hill to Honiton Turnpike Trust (created in 1765), which was itself formed as part of the Askerswell Hill Act (Bridport, Dorset to Devon formed in 1754). Its primary responsibilities were; (a) a long section of the London to Exeter Highway from the Devon / Dorset border to the Workhouse on the hill above Honiton (b) various cross roads radiating north and south out of Axminster.

 

J House of Commons - Reports

Askerswell Hill (Devon a27 Geo II Parl 4 Sess 7; A 1753-54)

Askerswell Hill Road – petition for bill to repair it from thence thru Bridport Charmouth Bridge; and thru Axminster to Wilmington Water;

A petition from several gentlemen and others living in, near and usually travelling the road from a certain Lanchett or intrenchment on Askerswell Hill, opposite to Chilcombe Farm thru Bridport to Charmouth Bridge, and also road from Bridport to Beaminster

And Charmouth Bridge thru Axminster and thru Parish of Kilmington and Shute (Devon) as far as a place called Wilmington Water at the West end of the Parish of Dalwood (Dorset)

Roads are in a very ruinous condition and in several places very narrow and incommodious and in the Winter season many parts thereof are so bad that carriages cannot pass without danger

Part of road from Charmouth Bridge to the top of Charmouth hill is so steep, rocky narrow and of so great a height that the same is very dangerous and that the said hill may easily be avoided by making a road under the NW side.

 

rep 26 Nov;

to prove the allegation – Robert Willis and William Drake said that the road from Askerswell Hill to Wilmington Water is 23 miles and from Bridport to Beaminster is 5 miles and the roads are common highways and in so ruinous condition that they are dangerous to wheeled carriages and in many places too narrow; that road to top of Charmouth hill which leads from Bridport to Charmouth Bridge is very inconvenient and dangerous and needs to turn the road to the NW, to make more commodious, which may be done without difficulty

 

Petition from Honiton for repair of road from thence to Wilmington Water; 17 Dec;

Inhabitants of Honiton and several parishes of Widworthy and Offwell (Devon)

That if the bill passes it will be of great detriment  to the petitioners and that provision be made to include in the bill repairing of road from Wilmington Water to the back part of the Workhouse in Honiton.

 

From Bridport against the bill 17 Dec

Petition of Bailiffs, Burgesses and inhabitants of Bridport and inhabitants of many of the villages and places adjacent, they will be prejudicial

Rep of Honiton petition and proceed accord 18 Dec

To prove allegation Mr Amos Callard said that road as ruinous condition

Added that if turnpikes should be erected at Wilmington Water and the road thence to Honiton should not be repaired it would be a great hardship to the inhabitants of Honiton as it will subject both them and the persons trading to the said town to the payment of a toll, without receiving the benefit equal to the same- order to include Honiton road.

 

Lyme Regis – Petition from thence to Askerswell Hill Road Bill Dec 7

Petition of gentlemen, clergy, freeholders and principal inhabitants residing in Lyme Regis and Parish of Charmouth, Uplyme, Axmouth, Coombepine, Wootten , Fitzpaine, White Church, Canonicourum and Stanton St Gabriel

That the road from the Almshouse at Charmouth to and thru Lyme Regis and to and thru Uplyme and over Uplyme Hill to the direction stone on the road to Axminster is not intended to be repaired by tolls arising although said road is the ancient post road and is now and for many years has been the post road from Salisbury to Axminster and when repaired will be very commodious to travellers. As the petitioners will be largely contributing to the turnpike Petitioners pray that said road be repaired being about 3.5 miles for that the said roads are uneven, very bad and founderous almost at all seasons of the year

Royal Assent 5th March.

 

List of Acts

Askerswell Hill to Honiton

 

27 Geo2 c32

1754

 

Penn Inn to Honiton Workhouse

 Separated from the Bridport roads

5 Geo3 c75

1765

 

Penn Inn to Shipley Lane, Honiton, and Northcote Lane, Honiton to Cullompton Lyme Regis to Straightway Head Whimple

 A District; –  adds road from Musbury to Whitford

32 Geo3 c144

1792

 

Axminster - Devon and Dorset

 

3 Geo4 c105

1822

 

Devon and Dorset

Expired

39&40 Vic c39

1876

Nov 1876

 

Axminster 1822

An Act for repairing, widening, and maintaining several Roads in the Counties of Dorset and Devon leading to and through the Town of Axminster. [15th July 1822.]

A Trust set up under previous Act from Penn Inn Dorset to Shipley Lane, Honiton, and from Penn Inn to the Workhouse at the East End of Honiton to Cullompton and another Act for the road from Lyme Regis to Straightway Head Whimple, contains Two Districts of Roads, described as the First District and the Second District,

 

Roads comprized in the said First District, shall be and the same are hereby repealed, -the Road leading from a House called Penn Inn in the Parish of Whitechurch Canonicorum, in the County of Dorset, through the Town and Parish of Axminster, and the Parishes of Kilmington, Shute, Dalwood, Widworthy, and Offwell, and Part of the Parish of Honiton, in the several Counties   of Devon and Dorset,  to the Distance  of One hundred Yards East of the Entrance into Shipley Lane in the said Parish of Honiton ; and also the Road leading from the East End of the Town of Axminster through Sectar Lane,  and over Hawkchurch Down, to or near the  Lyme Regis Turnpike Road (earlier road from Sectar Lane End  at the east end  of Axminster as far as Quandoes Gate at  the end of  Hawkchurch Down and also the road leading from Quandoes Gate over Hawkchurch Down towards the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road ),  in the Parishes of Hawkchurch and Whitechurch Canonicorum aforesaid ;  and also the Road leading from a House called the Old Inn, in the Parish of Kilmington, in the County of Devon, through the Parish of Shute, to the Town of Colyton, over Colyton Hill and Stoford Common, home to the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road, at or near Bovey Gate, within the Parish of Colyton, in the said County of Devon;  and also the Road leading from a House formerly called the White Hart Inn,  in the Town of Axminster aforesaid,   through  the  several Parishes  of Axminster, Musbury, and Axmouth, in the said County of Devon, home to the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road, at or near Boswell Hill Turnpike Gate; and also a Line of Communication with the said Axmouth Road, in the said Parish of Musbury,   leading from Long Mead Lane to a Place called Louds Corner, in the said Parish of Shute, consisting of not more than Five Furlongs,  being the First District of the Roads directed or intended by the said recited Act

Select Committee on State of Roads 1840

Charles Bond of Axminster (clerk to the trust) reported

There are 22 miles 2 furl 16pl of road thru 11 parishes – all repaired by the trustees

6 toll gates and 3 side bars

The roads are stated to be in repair – no part under indictment for want of repair.

 

List of Roads

Honiton Road; The A35 from the Penn Inn – (Penn Inn was at the Devon/Dorset County Boundary on the hill west of Charmouth), through Axminster (now the B3261 after town by passed), through Wilmington to Shipley Lane on the hill in the eastern approach to Honiton, (Shipley Road is just east of the railway bridge on King Road). (about 14 miles)

Hawkchurch Road; Now and UC road eastwards from Axminster through Sector towards the Dorset County Boundary to join the Crewkerne Branch of the Lyme Regis Trust at Blackpool Corner (about 2.5 miles).

Colyton Road; The UC road from A35 junction in Kilmington, down Whitford Road, through Colyton, and out along UC Old Sidmouth Road over Colyton Hill to join A3052 at Stafford Cross (Stofford Common). (about 6 miles)

Musbury Road; A358 from Axminster through Musbury to Boshill Cross, for Axmouth.(about 4 miles)

Whitford Road; UC road over River Axe from jct with A358 in Musbury to Whitford (about half a mile)

 

The roads north from Axminster were administered by the Chard Turnpike Trust.

 

Click here for a map of Devon Turnpike Roads

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Known Toll Gates (extracts from Tollhouse National database) 9 sites identified of the 6 reported by the trust in 1840 (plus 3 bars) (2 surviving tollhouses - underlined)

Road Classification Number

Route

GATE NAME

OS Grid Ref- Prefi

Easting

Northing

District

Civil Parish

Location (Name or Number)

Road or Street (see across)

Position

Evidence

Revised 23rd Sept 2013

erected by (Turnpike Trust or Authority)

Bibliographic refs

A35

Axminster to Bridport

Penn Inn

ST

342

953

DOWD

CHARMOUTH

Charmouth Hill, County Boundary

 

 

; ; ;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

 

B3261 (was A35)

Axminster to Lyme Regis

East

SY

3024

9832

DVED

AXMINSTER

Lyme Road, E of jct with Sector Lane

 

 

OS 1st Series; Greenwood Devon (1827); Turnpike Trust Returns 1824;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.112; 1871 census

A358

Axminster to Musbury

South

SY

295

979

DVED

AXMINSTER

S of Bofield Road jct

Musbury Road

 

; ; Turnpike Trust Returns 1824;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.113; 1871 census

B3261 (was A35)

Axminster to Lyme Regis

(Woodbury) Westbury Lane Bar

SY

310

970

DVED

AXMINSTER

Woodbury Lane (jct with Lyme Road ?)

(let with East Gate)

 

; ; Advert of lease 1833;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.112; 1871 census

UC road (was B3161)

Colyton to Whitford

Colyton (Umborne Bridge)

SY

24936

94244

DVED

COLYTON

The Toll House (B & B)

Station Road

fork at Lisham's Drain, Umborne Bridge

; ; Turnpike Trust Returns 1824;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.111; 1871 census

A35

Honiton to Axminster

Yew Tree

SY

278

980

DVED

KILMINGTON

foot of Gammons Hill, Kilmington, near Yarty Bridge now the new jct

 

; ; Turnpike Trust Returns 1824; old picture

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.114; 1841 census

UC road

Whitford to Musbury

Millands (Mellons)

SY

26889

95015

DVED

MUSBURY

Turnpike Cottage

Whitford Road

east of river crossing, at jct with Maidenhayne Lane, near Millands Farm

; ; ;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.113

A35

Honiton to Axminster

Mount Pleasant

ST

186

005

DVED

OFFWELL

Mount Pleasant, jct to Ofwell

 

 

; Greenwood Devon (1827); Turnpike Trust Returns 1824;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.112; 1871 census

A35

Honiton to Axminster

Northcote (Northole Lane)

ST

193

002

DVED

OFFWELL

Mount Pleasant, jct Northgate and Featherbed Lane

 

OS 1st Series; Greenwood Devon (1827); Turnpike Trust Returns 1824;

Axminster (Devon and Dorset)

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.112; 1871 census

 

Known Milestones

In the Milestone Society Database, 5 milestones are identified, 4 in a design referred to as T iron plate. Based on the Trust mileage reported in 1840, would expect 26.

 

Mentions in Exeter Flying Post

 (excluding notices of meetings and letting of tolls)

bill to be introduced to Parliament

23-Sep

1790

Application to Parliament for Act

12-Sep

1839