Milford Lane turnpike side gate

Milford Lane turnpike Side Gate

Plugging a gap before 1859

 

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.


              Edward Bullock Watts' 1806 map of Yeovil (extract at left) shows today's Goldcroft from Reckleford to Milford Cross and beyond was bounded for its entire length by fields with no houses whatsoever. At this time it was called Gold Croft Lane, but only about as far as today's Crofton Avenue, after which it was called Milford Lane (the top two thirds at the top of this map extract). This side gate was operational from as early as 1828 until the disbanding of the Turnpike Trust.

 Its purpose was to “plug a gap” in the access to Yeovil that existed before 1859, when the Combe Street Lane Side Gate was moved to the junction of Mudford Road and Brickyard Lane (today's St Michael's Avenue) and the introduction of the Mudford Road Toll House.

The 1851 census recorded the toll keeper's cottage as Milford's Gate. I was occupied by 32-year-old Esau Keech, his 23-year-old wife Ann and their three sons; Joseph, Frederic and John.

Esau gave his occupation as a cordwainer - an occupation could be carried out at home -  but he was likely the toll collector as well.
Until this time it had been possible for travellers from Mudford and beyond to turn into Brickyard Lane, turn west onto a farm track (that would later become Milford Road - shown on this map to the right of Milford Cross), then continue south at Milford Cross to Reckleford (at the bottom left of this map extract) - at which point the existing toll gates and side gates would have been bypassed.

 

An enlarged section of the above Watts' map of Yeovil of 1806, showing the Milford Cross area that was almost certainly the location of the Turnpike side gate.