Kensington Turnpike Trust drawings
Ride into Regency London with 30 of Joseph Salway's detailed plans and elevations of streets in the care of the Kensington Turnpike Trust.
Curator's introduction
to 30 superb drawings of Regency London
Charging a fee for travelling into central London by road is by no means a modern phenomenon. By the mid-eighteenth century, anyone entering the city had to pay their way through the numerous gates and tolls erected by Turnpike Trusts. The term ‘turnpike’ derives from the spiked barricade used for defence in medieval times.
Turnpike Trusts were established by Parliament to raise revenue to remedy the increasingly ruinous state of many roads. The first began operating on the Great North Road in 1663. Less than a century later, turnpikes had become so widespread – and unpopular – that Pope could complain:
Curator's choice
Curator's introduction highlights personal favourite items from the collection
Hyde Park Corner showing the Piccadilly Turnpike
This section of drawing shows the Piccadilly Turnpike at Hype Park Corner, the terminus of one of...
Knightsbridge showing Cannon Brewhouse
Knightsbridge is represented here in plan and elevation. The architectural details of the buildin...
Hyde Park showing Army Barracks
This drawing covers the northern part of Hyde Park, the largest of the Royal parks and well known...
Kensington Church Street
The church shown here is St Mary Abbots. It was rebuilt in 1869-72 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, b...
Earls Court Terrace showing Holland House
The land that became Holland Park is shown here. Holland House can be seen in the distance,carefu...
