Hand-painted sign with list of tolls or charges, set by the English Parliament in 1776, for using the world's first cast-iron bridge which spans the River Severn at Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire, England. The bridge opened to traffic in 1781 and, as this Table of Tolls on the Tollhouse beside the bridge makes clear, even the King and Queen were not exempt from paying the tolls. The bridge was designed by architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and was forged and constructed by Quaker ironmaster Abraham Darby III in neighbouring Coalbrookdale.
Ironbridge, Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom: even the King, Queen and other members of the British Royal Family were not exempt from tolls set by Parliament in 1776 to cross the River Severn using the world’s first cast-iron bridge - as shown by this hand-painted tariff on the wall of the Tollhouse, built around 1780 during the long reign of King George III. The bridge, the largest cast-iron structure of its time, was designed by the architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (c. 1723-1777) and was forged and constructed by the Quaker ironmaster Abraham Darby III (1750-1789) at the ironworks in neighbouring Coalbrookdale. It opened to traffic on 1 January 1781.
Size: 3800px × 2533px
Location: Ironbridge, Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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