Geograph - photograph every grid square

Early 19th century milestone on the A683. Inscribed S / 9 and K/L 1¾ and on the base CASTERTON. On Sedbergh to Greta Bridge turnpike road, 1762.
Turnpikes were administered by turnpike trusts, which were authorised by private act of parliament. The trusts laid down a network of soundly constructed roads throughout the country, replacing parochial maintenance system on many highways and substantially improving communications. The first English turnpike roads were authorised by an act of 1663. By the 1800s there were about 8000 tollgates and 22,000 miles of highway. The trust's engineers, notably John Macadam, constructed many new roads, which by the 1800s were being utilized by an efficient stagecoach system. However, railway expansion after 1830 led to the rapid decline of stagecoaches and turnpike revenue.