The Toll house

The Iron Bridge Toll House

The Iron Bridge opened to traffic on 1 January 1781, the first bridge in the world built entirely from cast iron. Its Tollhouse, built in red brick with three storeys, followed soon after — probably completed in 1783 — and became the permanent home of the toll keeper and family.

Tolls and charges

The rules for crossing had already been fixed by an Act of Parliament in 1776. The charges never changed:

• 2 shillings for a coach with six horses

• 1 penny per cow

• ½ penny per pedestrian

The Act stated that “every Officer or Soldier… as well as the Royal Family” must pay. The only exemption was for ferrymen who surrendered their crossings once the bridge was built. The original toll board is still fixed to the Tollhouse wall today.

Changes to the building

The building itself was extended in 1835.

Gas lamps were ordered in 1839 — one on each side of the gate and one mid-bridge — and new wooden gates were fitted in 1852 at a cost of £11 3s 0d.

Toll keeper life

Life as a toll keeper was demanding. Mr and Mrs Jones, who kept the tolls just after the First World War, remembered rising at 5 a.m. to let workmen cross, collecting halfpennies all day long, and being unable to leave without special permission.

They recalled carts, motorcars, sheep and cattle crossing, as well as the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) in his gleaming Rolls Royce. Queen Mary and Princess Mary also crossed, and in 1932 a circus elephant marched over in a publicity stunt.

The end of tolls

The bridge closed to vehicles in 1934, but pedestrians still had to pay. A photo from 31 May 1950 shows girls handing over their halfpennies — among the last to do so.

The end of tolls came on 12 October 1950. At a ceremony, Mr Rathbone, descendant of the Darby family and chairman of the Ironbridge Trust, handed the deeds to Alderman T. Ward of Salop County Council, along with a cheque for £500 towards restoration.

After lunch at the Tontine, Councillor Fell opened the toll gate, then threw the keys and chain into the River Severn, declaring the bridge toll-free.

To mark the occasion, the bridge was painted with three coats of bituminous paint, finishing in black.

Restoration and today

The Tollhouse was abandoned through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1974, it was passed to the newly formed Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT), restored during the year, and designated a Grade II listed building as 68 Bower Yard.

On 4 August 1975, the Tollhouse reopened as an information centre, staffed by volunteers.

In 1979, during bicentenary celebrations, Prince Charles visited and paid his ceremonial halfpenny toll. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II was also presented with a symbolic Royal ha’penny on her visit.

Today the Tollhouse remains part of the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors still see the 18th-century toll board — and, more than seventy years after the last toll was collected, some tourists still stop to ask if they need to pay to cross.