Yeovil's Virtual Museum

HutT Gate

The Combe Street Lane Stop Gate

 

In 1753, Turnpike Commissioners were appointed for "repairing and widening the roads" of Yeovil.  At the first meeting of the Yeovil Turnpike Trust on 12 June 1753, they ordered that "three capital gates be erected" at Hendford Bridge (by today's Railway Tavern) and also known as Hendford Gate, Goar Knap (spanning Sherborne Road on the town side of the junction of St Michael's Avenue - later replaced by Yeovil Bridge Turnpike House) and the "Head of Kingston". There was also the Pen Style Stop Gate near the entrance leading from Pen Style to Newton, later replaced by Pen Style Turnpike House. Other gates at various times being Watercombe Side Gate, Combe Street Lane "Hutt Gate" - later replaced by Mudford Road Turnpike House, Milford Lane Side Gate (today's Goldcroft) and Jernegan's Hut Side Gate at Vagg.

The Combe Street Lane Stop Gate, literally a gate across the road, was sited at the junction of Combe Street Lane and Mudford Road. It was ordered to be installed by the Yeovil Turnpike Trust on 27 March 1787. A toll house was built around 1840 in a field called Hutt Field. On the 1842 Tithe Map (below), the words 'HUTT GATE' are written across the Mudford Road / Combe Street Lane / Stone Lane crossroads. The hut was shown in the field called Hutt Field (Parcel 1089) and was clearly the toll keeper's 'hut' or house.

Hutt Gate was still being referred to in the Western Flying Post in 1851.

It was referred to as Combe Street Lane Side Gate in the notices of toll tenders from 1825 until 1859 when the toll gate was moved to the junction of Mudford Road and St Michael's Avenue.

 

 

An extract from the 1842 Tithe Map. Combe Street Lane comes in from top left, Stone Lane runs to top centre and Mudford Road comes up from bottom left, bends at the crossroads and then proceeds towards bottom right.