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3 - Portrait tablets

What is a “Highway”?

2 - PC/landscape tablets

4 - L/scape smartphone

5 - Portrait smartphone

Section 3:

The Roads

Introduction

The world of long-distance coach travel

Ancient Trackways

The first roads

Celtic Trading Routes

The Celts were trading across Europe and although nothing remains of their roads, they must have followed fixed routes

Roman Roads

The Romans built roads, famously straight. These are the first roads that we in England are familiar with

The Middle Ages

After the Romans left, our roads fell into disrepair. Find out what happened

The Tudors

After the dissolution of the monasteries, even the church’s work ended

The Stuarts

During the Stuart period the first beginnings of improvement appeared

Thomas Mace

The first proposal to improve Britain’s roads

The Blind Roadmaker

The first person to take active steps to improve the roads

Thomas Telford

As pressure for improved transport links grew, this engineer made a real difference

John McAdam

Perhaps the most famous roadmaker, His method is still essentially in use today

Turnpikes

Britain’s roads at last allow fast long-distance travel 

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 Part 1: Living Memories

Anecdotes written by people who actually travelled on the coaches

Part 2: The Age of Coaching

The coachmen, the inns, the coach proprietors - they’re all here. Come in and meet them

Part 3: The Roads

Britain’s roads were pretty impassable for most of our history.  Coach travel was very difficult until they improved

Part 4: The Coaches

Wheeled transport evolved over many years. Find out how coaches developed

Background

Sources and information about how I came to create this website

Home Page

Home Page of the Coaching Website

Thomas Mace used the term “High-way” to describe the road to Scotland. And the first Turnpike Act refers to the North Road as “the ancient highway and post-road leading from London to York and so into Scotland.” Today, the words “highroad” and “highway” are very familiar. But what really is - or was - a highroad? 

The ancient meaning comes from the fact that roads were originally higher than the surrounding land.  They were causeways constructed across, and above the level of, marshes and low-lying lands, and the term was therefore excellently descriptive.  

Having the road higher than the surrounding land is beneficial for drainage and in some countries this was the norm. Foreigners were sometimes amazed to find that, because of general wear and tear, English roads tended to be below the level of the surrounding land.

In mediaeval times, there were very few main roads and they were used first and foremost by the king. As a result, they became known as the King’s Highway and this term remained in use for many years.

In fact, it really only changed when the first Turnpike Acts began to be passed.  They authorised the building of Toll Gates to collect money and the requirement to use it to improve the roads.

The wording in the the acts referred to all roads as “highroads” or “highways”.

Nowadays, pretty well any road or street is referred to as “the highway”.


Next: The Great North Road