Turnpike trusts formed an important part of English life for over 150 years from about 1690 to 1840 during which time they made a significant contribution to economic development before & during the industrial revolution. Locally & privately funded & usually operated on a relatively small scale they represented an administrative innovation which recognised & tried to meet the need for an enhanced road transport infrastructure. For the first time road users paid for repairs & improvements to roads & parishioners hitherto responsible were relieved of an often burdensome charge on local finances. Over 20 000 miles (32 000km) of roads were turnpiked & most of these eighteenth- & nineteenth-century roads are still used today. Apart from the roads themselves the most obvious survivals of turnpike trusts are the scores of neat little tollhouses & hundreds of roadside milestones. This book outlines the origins development success & decline of the turnpike trusts & some of the features associated with them.