TURNPIKE TO IRON ROAD - By Colonel H.C.B. Rogers, O.B.E.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

TURNPIKE TO IRON ROAD traces the evolution of travel in Great Britain from medieval horse-drawn transport to mechanised movement, focusing on how communications routes shaped the experience of ordinary travellers. The narrative highlights major transitions across a century and a half, using illustrative material that reflects rolling stock and the conditions under which people travelled. It frames the period between a heralding road-building event in 1765 and the post-railway turning point marked by the First World War’s outbreak.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages340

Reading Time8 h 44 min

AccessFree to download

TURNPIKE TO IRON ROAD

Introduction and overview of the surveyed period

Illustrations and sources

Acknowledgements

TURNPIKETOIRON ROAD COLONEL H.C.B.ROGERSO.B.E. # TURNPIKETO IRON ROAD By COLONELH.C.B.ROGERS,o.B.E. Author of The Pageant of Heraldry,Mounted Troops of the British Army As a preliminary to this interestingstory,the author sketches in broad out-line the principal developments whichtook place from mediaeval times tillthe eighteenth century,during whichtransport struggled over the execrableroads and tracks of the country's com-munications. Although no exact date or event canbe assigned to its start,there was never-theless a great transitional period duringwhich travel in Great Britain pro-gressed from the slow horsed movementof centuries to the mechanised trans-port of modern times. There was,however,an event whichcould well be said to herald the adventof modern travel,and that was theconstruction of three miles of road by ablind man in 1765.Some hundred andfifty years later the golden age of rail-ways was terminated by the outbreakof the First World War,two eventswhich serve to mark the beginning andthe end of the period surveyed in thesepages. In addition to being a lively andentertaining social history of a centuryand a half in this country,there aremany appropriate illustrations,somedrawn from contemporary sources,andall depicting rolling stock and the con-ditions under which people travelled,then and in later years. LoNDON: SEELEY,SERVICE &Co.,LTD。I96 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE 9 15 # TURNPIKE TO IRON ROAD https://archive.org/details/turnpiketoironro0000colo TURNPIKETOIRON ROAD COLONEL H.C.B.ROGERSO.B.E. LONDON Seeley,Service Co. Limited # THE PAGEANT OF HERALDRYMOUNTED TROOPS OF THE BRITISH ARMYWEAPONS OF THE BRITISH SOLDIER ⑥ Colonel H.C.B.RogersI961 Published bySeeley,Service Co.Ltd. PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN To that most enthusiastic of travellersMY WIFE # ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted either indirectly or directly to a numberof people and sources in the writing of this book.Inparticular I would mention Mr.H.E.Wilson,M.I.Mech.E., M.I.Loco.E.,the last Mechanical Engineer of the oldGreat Northern Railway(Ireland),and my old friend,Mr.C.R.H.Simpson,A.M.I.Loco.E.,once of theLocomotive Publishing Company and now of Messrs.Beyer,Peacock &Co. I have included some extracts from the late F.S.Williams'delightful book,Our Iron Roads,and many of the illustrationsin the text have been taken from early issues_of thatincomparable record of current events,The IllustratedLondon News.

FAQs

What historical period does TURNPIKE TO IRON ROAD cover?

It surveys travel developments from medieval times through the eighteenth century and frames the period with the beginning signaled by the 1765 road construction and the end marked by the First World War outbreak.

What event is used to herald the advent of modern travel?

The book points to the construction of three miles of road by a blind man in 1765 as an event that could herald modern travel.

What kinds of sources and illustrations does the author use?

The author includes many appropriate illustrations, some taken from contemporary sources, depicting rolling stock and the conditions under which people travelled, along with extracts from Our Iron Roads and materials from The Illustrated London News.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca