Scawsby Bar, Barnsley Road, Scawsby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Scawsby Bar toll house seen from the south-west. Turnpike roads had gates (known sometimes as a 'bar')to make travellers stop and pay a toll to the toll keeper. The houses generally had a bay window or doorway right on the road to make sure travellers could not avoid payment. The money from the tolls was used to pay for the upkeep of the road, by the turnpike trust who owned the stretch of road. The board above the doorway, that can be seen on this house, would have had a list of the charges for each type of vehicle. Turnpikes and toll houses were constructed in the 1700s and, by the time this photograph was taken, the gate and toll had probably been removed.
