The Toll house

When the Iron Bridge opened to traffic on 1 January 1781, everyone who crossed had to pay—even soldiers and members of the Royal Family.

The small red-brick Tollhouse beside the bridge became the home and workplace of generations of toll keepers. More than two centuries later, both the building and its original toll board survive.

The Tollhouse is a two-storey red-brick building. Its exact date of construction is uncertain, but it stood beside the bridge from the earliest years and became the permanent home of the toll keeper and family.

What did it cost to cross?

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

• Two shillings — coach drawn by six horses

• One penny — ox, cow or other cattle

• Halfpenny — each pedestrian

The notice made it clear that officers, soldiers and members of the Royal Family were all expected to pay. The only exemption was for ferrymen who surrendered their crossings once the bridge was built.

Changes beside the bridge

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.

Life as a toll keeper

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 last tolls

The Iron Bridge closed to vehicles on 18 June 1934, but pedestrians continued paying to cross for another sixteen years. A photograph from 31 May 1950 shows girls handing over their halfpennies — among the last to do so.

The bridge becomes free

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.

Abandoned and restored

The Tollhouse was abandoned through the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1974, the building was transferred to the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and restored. It was Grade II listed on 9 August 1974 under its official address, 68 Bower Yard. The Tollhouse reopened as a visitor information centre on 4 August 1975, staffed by volunteers.

Royal halfpennies

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.

The Tollhouse today

In 2024, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust's ten museums — including the Tollhouse — were transferred to the National Trust, securing their long-term future. Today the Tollhouse is a National Trust property within the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors can still examine the original toll board and discover the story of the people who once collected every penny and halfpenny. More than seventy years after the final toll was taken, some visitors still stop and ask whether they need to pay before crossing.

Thankfully, the answer is no.