Closing the Turnpike

In 1822 a complete new road was planned to replace the old turnpike from the Bostock to Hogmoor, completely bypassing Englefield village. As originally planned this was meant to run north-east from the junction of the turnpike with the 1802 road from Parker's Corner to the Bath Road, across the former Great Field to a point where the lodge gates now are (shown as the broken yellow line below). At this point it turned north and went in a straight line to Hogmoor where it crossed the river on a new brick arch just upstream of the existing crossing. The existing river crossing was closed and Piper's Lane diverted to meet the new road just on the Englefield side of the new bridge. The road to Chalkpit Farm was extended to meet the new road.

The planned new road was not quite straight but had a very long curve to the left where it met Englefield Street. This left Dunts’s farmhouse a reasonable distance from the road on the North Street side but a pencil addition to the plan shows this curve taken out and the road running close to the front of the house as it does today, though the house is a later replacement.

A pencil addition to the plan shows the southern end of the new road no longer to run across the former Great Field but to run in a straight line just east of Widemoor Common to meet the Bath Road where it does today. The 1829 enclosure map, only four years after the road was built, shows this to have been the line actually built. Yet another pencil addition shows the 1802 road from Bradfield being diverted at its junction with the old turnpike and running dead straight to join the Bath Road at the junction with Deadman’s Lane, again as it does today. However the 1829 map still shows the two roads to the south so presumably this last alteration was made later.

By the time this plan was drawn Englefield Street had already been rebuilt on a new straight alignment (shown in pink) and three new pairs of houses built along it.

An order made on 6 February 1826 then closed the sections of the old turnpike between Bostock Lane and the road from Theale to Englefield church and from Englefield Street to Hogmoor. The turnpike trustees gave the land formerly occupied by the closed sections of road to Richard Benyon de Beauvoir in exchange for the land taken up by the new road. While the distance by the new road between Bostock and Hogmoor was some 36 poles less, the closure of the old road meant that the distance from Englefield to the Bath Road and from the houses of several Englefield parishioners to the church was considerably greater. Perhaps for this reason the old section between Englefield Street and Chalkpit remained as a footpath for many years afterwards. Indeed a path is still marked on the larger scale Ordnance Survey maps today although it is not a right of way and there is no longer any trace on the ground.

At the Berkshire Summer assizes in 1826 Richard Benyon brought an action for trespass involving destruction of gates and fences on the closed section near Bostock Lane against a man called Welch and one other. The defendants pleaded not guilty on the grounds that the road closure was illegal under the Turnpike Acts because of the increased distances to the church and particularly from Englefield to Tyle Mill (Till Mill at the time) where Welch and other villagers had been accustomed to grind their corn. The judge found in favour of Richard Benyon so the old road was legally closed.

Roads

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Closing the Turnpike

In 1822 a complete new road was planned to replace the old turnpike from the Bostock to Hogmoor, completely bypassing Englefield village. As originally planned this was meant to run north-east from the junction of the turnpike with the 1802 road from Parker's Corner to the Bath Road, across the former Great Field to a point where the lodge gates now are (shown as the broken yellow line below). At this point it turned north and went in a straight line to Hogmoor where it crossed the river on a new brick arch just upstream of the existing crossing. The existing river crossing was closed and Piper's Lane diverted to meet the new road just on the Englefield side of the new bridge. The road to Chalkpit Farm was extended to meet the new road.

The planned new road was not quite straight but had a very long curve to the left where it met Englefield Street. This left Dunts’s farmhouse a reasonable distance from the road on the North Street side but a pencil addition to the plan shows this curve taken out and the road running close to the front of the house as it does today, though the house is a later replacement.

A pencil addition to the plan shows the southern end of the new road no longer to run across the former Great Field but to run in a straight line just east of Widemoor Common to meet the Bath Road where it does today. The 1829 enclosure map, only four years after the road was built, shows this to have been the line actually built. Yet another pencil addition shows the 1802 road from Bradfield being diverted at its junction with the old turnpike and running dead straight to join the Bath Road at the junction with Deadman’s Lane, again as it does today. However the 1829 map still shows the two roads to the south so presumably this last alteration was made later.

By the time this plan was drawn Englefield Street had already been rebuilt on a new straight alignment (shown in pink) and three new pairs of houses built along it.

An order made on 6 February 1826 then closed the sections of the old turnpike between Bostock Lane and the road from Theale to Englefield church and from Englefield Street to Hogmoor. The turnpike trustees gave the land formerly occupied by the closed sections of road to Richard Benyon de Beauvoir in exchange for the land taken up by the new road. While the distance by the new road between Bostock and Hogmoor was some 36 poles less, the closure of the old road meant that the distance from Englefield to the Bath Road and from the houses of several Englefield parishioners to the church was considerably greater. Perhaps for this reason the old section between Englefield Street and Chalkpit remained as a footpath for many years afterwards. Indeed a path is still marked on the larger scale Ordnance Survey maps today although it is not a right of way and there is no longer any trace on the ground.

At the Berkshire Summer assizes in 1826 Richard Benyon brought an action for trespass involving destruction of gates and fences on the closed section near Bostock Lane against a man called Welch and one other. The defendants pleaded not guilty on the grounds that the road closure was illegal under the Turnpike Acts because of the increased distances to the church and particularly from Englefield to Tyle Mill (Till Mill at the time) where Welch and other villagers had been accustomed to grind their corn. The judge found in favour of Richard Benyon so the old road was legally closed.