The Road by Hilaire Belloc - HTML preview

 

INDEX

 

ABBEVILLE, bridge at and road convergence, 25

ACT OF UNION (Pitt’s) and effect on the Holyhead Road, 187

ADUR, RIVER, crossing of at Bramber, 130

ALEXANDRIA, 70

ALFOLDEAN BRIDGE, 76, 153;

effect of breakdown of, 166;

and Stane Street, 167

ALPS, the, passes of, 44;

Roman roads in, 138

ANGEVINS, the, and Sussex, 132

ANTWERP, 31

ANTIOCH, 70

APENNINES, the, Roman roads in, 138

AQUILEA, 103

ARDENNES, the, Roman roads in, 138

ARMIES, necessity of road for, 74-6

ARTERIAL ROADS confined to motor traffic, need for, 195

ARTERIAL ROAD, example of a typical, from London to Birmingham, and how used, 196-7

ARTERIAL ROADS, five essentials of, 198-200;

problem of exit from dense urban centres, 200-01;

suggested finance of, and legislation regarding, 201-5

ARUN, RIVER, effect of marshes of, 17-18;

lowest bridge over, at Arundel, 97;

crossed by the southern track, 130;

crossing of at Houghton, 130;

at Burgh Hill, 139;

at Romans Wood, 153, 166;

at Pulborough, 166

ARUNDEL, road from Pulborough to, 17, 18;

crossing of Arun at, 97, 99, 130

ARUNDEL HILL, 169

ASHURST, Roman road on sand at, 156

ATHENS, 70

AULUS PLAUTIUS, 104

AUTUN, 70

AVON, Bristol, the, and British trackways, 129

BALHAM and Stane Street, 167

BALKAN PENINSULA, the, political chaos due to decay of Roman trunk roads, 76-7

BARI, road planning in, 58

BATH and the Fosse Way, 39

BEECH, woods, and chalk, 119

BELFORT, 44, 45, 46

BELGIUM, Roman road building in, 136

BERKSHIRE DOWNS, the trackway on, 120

BIGNOR and Stane Street, 138, 169

BILLINGSHURST and Stane Street, 169

BLACK DEATH, the, a date in English road history, 81-2

BLACKPOOL, a “reserve” town, 68

BOARD OF WORKS AND MACADAM, 190

BORDEAUX, 31

BOROUGH, the, and Stane Street, 167

BOSHAM during the Dark Ages, 165

“BOULEVARD” movement, 194

BOULOGNE, harbour of, 73

BOUNDARY, road as a, 77;

instanced, 77-8

BRAMBER, causeway at, 18;

crossing of Adur at, 99, 130

BRANCASTER, Roman station at, and Peddars Way, 176

BREYDON WATER, change from estuary to a broad, 176

BRIDGE, the, and road development, 12;

building of at different periods, 22-3;

significance of term in some languages, 22-3;

cost of and effect, 22-3;

architecture of, 23;

function in making inland ports, 30-31;

marshes created by disrepair of, 65, 158-9;

at Cologne, 75;

lowest on river, effect of, on sea traffic, 96-7;

normal origin of, 20;

instanced at London, Cologne, Rouen, Isle of Paris, 21;

of piles, 21;

of boats, 21;

object of, 21-2;

high gradients of some, 23-4;

effect of change from pile to stone, 24;

convergence of roads towards, 25;

military importance of, 25;

payments of toll at, 26;

creation of a nodal point at, 26-31;

on English roads, 89

BRIDGE HEAD, the term, 25

BRIGHTON, a “reserve” town, 68

BRINDISI, 70, 77

BRITAIN, its place in the Roman Empire, 113

BURFORD BRIDGE and Stane Street, 170

BURGH HILL, 139

BURGHLEY PARK, near Stamford, 154

BURY, 169

CAEN, bridge at, and road convergence, 25

CANTERBURY and Christianity, 70;

lowest bridge over Stour at, 97;

and Richborough, 98;

and Colchester, 103;

and the early trackways, 120, 121, 122;

as nucleus of Channel ports, 163

CHALK, road courses over, 34-5;

characteristics of, 119;

distribution in England, 119-20;

and the early trackways, 119-20, 130, 131

CHALONS, disuse of Roman road from Rheims to, 157

CHANNEL, English (see English Channel)

CHESHIRE PLAIN, THE, 128

CHESTER, terminal of north-west road, 70, 121;

Roman garrison town, 71;

road from to Penkridge, 72, 148, 161, 173;

bridge at, 97;

and early trackways, 129

CHICHESTER and Stane Street, 132, 139-40, 160, 166;

harbours and Stane Street, 132

CHILTERNS, the, early trackway on, 120

CHRISTIAN RELIGION, spread of, along Roman roads, 70;

in West Sussex, 153

CLAPHAM COMMON and Stane Street, 173

CLAY, effect of weather on, 11-12;

road courses over, 33;

Roman road-building on, 54;

in the Weald, effect of on communications, 131-2, 165;

and on West Sussex during Dark Ages, 153

CLIFTON GORGE, 129

CLIMATE, dampness of English, 105

COAST ROADS, features of on south coast of England, 98-9

COLCHESTER, 103;

trackway from London to, 122

COLOGNE, bridge at, 21, 29, 75;

Roman road from Paris to, 140

CONSTANTINOPLE, 77

COST, factor of in influencing number, size, and course of roads, 56-60;

and the “strangling of communication,” 57

COTSWOLDS, the early trackway on, 120, 126

CRETE, 93

CYPRUS, 93

DAMASCUS, 70

DANES, the, in Sussex, 76

DARENTH, RIVER, 19

DARK AGES, the, use of Roman roads in, 147-8;

disappearance of sections of road during, 148-50;

breakdown of Roman river crossings during, 150-55;

Roman roads on Continent during, 156-7;

formation of disrepair of roads during, 158-9;

pirates’ raids during, 162-3;

disuse of Peddars Way in, 175;

and the growth of a local road system, 177

DEE, RIVER, bridge over, at Chester, 97

DEVON, roads along south coast of, 98, 138;

and the Fosse Way, 127;

and traffic during Dark Ages, 132

DORCHESTER (Oxon), bridge over Thames at, 102;

a wheat-growing centre, 128

DORKING and Stane Street, 166, 169-70

DORSET, trackway from Salisbury Plain to, 119;

derivation of name, 119;

and the Fosse Way, 127, 138;

and traffic during Dark Ages, 132

DOVER, Roman road to Richborough from, 98;

port for Roman troops, 103;

and London, 108;

early trackway through Canterbury to, 122;

Straits of (see Straits of Dover)

DOWN BARN, near Andover, loop in road at, 138

DOWNS, Sussex, Wiltshire, &c., (see under these names)

DUNCTON HILL and Stane Street, 167

DUNWICH and coastal erosion, 176

DURAZZO, road from Constantinople to, 77

DURHAM, 125

EARTHAM and Stane Street, 51, 167

EAST ANGLIA, Roman campaigns in, 102;

wheat growing in, 128;

and Peddars Way, 174-5

EDGWARE ROAD, site of trackway, 121

EGYPT, Roman trunk road from to Northumberland, 70

“ENCLOSURE,” effect of on roads, 90

ENGLAND, north and south, tendency of division into, 127-8

ENGLISH CHANNEL, the, and the Chalk ridges, 35, 126

ENGLISH ROADS on south coast, 62;

phases in the history of, 81-4;

characteristics of, 84-91;

and the French road compared, 84-6;

the, effect of political history on, 89-90;

and the Industrial Revolution, 90, 91;

the, “blindness” of, 92;

diversion and interruption of by waterways, 93-9;

effect of absence of strategy on, 99-105;

the, and dampness of climate, 105;

and diversity of soil, 105-6;

and increasing density of population, 106;

and legislation, 106;

the, effect of “potential” in its development, 107-9;

its five stages of development, 109-15;

British pre-Roman trackways, 110, 116-32;

the, and the Roman road system, 133-46;

during the Dark Ages, 147-77;

during the Mediaeval period, 177-8;

the, turnpike system of, 183-5;

1810 a pivotal date of, 185-6;

and Telford, 186-9;

improvement of surface of, by Macadam, 189-91;

effect of railroads upon, 192-3;

the, present need for new arterial roads (q.v.), 194-5

EPHESUS, 70

EPSOM and Stane Street, 170

EPSOM DOWNS, 170

EPSOM RACE-COURSE, gap in Roman road between Merton and, 103, 149

ERITH, 121

EXE RIVER, importance of bridge at Exeter, 97-8;

trackway from to Humber, 117, 126, 129

EXETER and the Exe, 97-8

FAL, RIVER, 97

FARNHAM, road to in Wey Valley, 34;

to Guildford, 35;

and the Pilgrims’ Way, 131

FENS, the, former absence of main roads in, 53-4;

and trackway to the north, 125

FERRIES, use of by Romans, 102

FERRY, the, rather than ford precedes bridges, 20-21

FLEET, RIVER, 122

FLINT, use of in road construction, 55;

disadvantages to motor traffic, 55

FORD, and the bridge, 12, 20;

etymology of term, 19;

significance of as particle with “stone” and “street” in place-names, 154

FOREST, influence of on course of road, 47-51;

of Mormal, 49;

in the tropics, 49;

and the railroad, 50;

and the Roman road, 50-51

FOSSE WAY, the, gradients of in Somerset, 38-9;

survival of early trackway from Exe to Humber, 126-7;

alluded to, 138;

use of in Dark Ages, 177

FOWEY, RIVER, 97

FRANCE, Northern, Roman roads in, 147-8

FRENCH ROAD, the, characteristics of, 84-6

FUEL, taxation of;

simplest method of collecting a road tax, 202-3

GABAS, valley of, 44

GAINSBOROUGH, bridge at, 97

GALLEGO, 44;

bridge over near Huesca, 24

GARGANO, isolation of by marsh, 15

GAUL, military roads of, 75-6;

Roman road building in, 136-7

GENOA, 67

GLASGOW, 31

GLOUCESTER, bridge of, 74;

function of in making an inland port, 30;

and the Severn crossing, 98;

road from Winchester to, 138

GRADIENTS of bridges, 23;

factors determining, 37-8;

of the Fosse Way in Somerset, 38-9;

of the roads in the Jura, 40;

and of the Vosges, 41;

of railroads, 41-2;

and the internal-combustion engine, 42;

at Lynton and Lynmouth, 42;

of the mountain pass, 43-6;

of English roads, 89;

straightness of Roman roads modified by, 138

GRANITE, use of in road construction, 54-5

GRAVEL, road courses over, 33-4;

example in Wey Valley, 34

GRAVESEND, 164

GRAYS, 121

GREAT NORTH ROAD, 50, 163, 191

GUILDFORD, 35, 130

HAMPSHIRE, chalk ridge of, 119;

ease of communication through, 130-31

HAMPSHIRE DOWNS, 130

HARDHAM and Stane Street, 139, 168

HASTINGS, 99

HAVRE, 74

HIGHLANDS ROADS COMMISSION AND TELFORD, 187

HILLS, effect of on course of roads, 7-11

HIPPO, 103

HOG’S BACK, the, track over, 35

HOLLAND, roads of, 53-4

HOLMES, RICE, 98

HOLYHEAD ROAD, THE, 71-2;

and Telford, 186-9;

completion of, 192-3

HOUGHTON, 130

HUESCA, bridge near, 24

HUMBER crossed by Roman road, 98, 102;

strategical consideration of, 100-01, 104;

trackway from Exe to, 117, 125-6, 129

HYDE PARK, 78

ICELAND, 93

ICENI, the, 174

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, the, and the turnpike road, 90

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE AND GRADIENTS, 42;

makes a crisis in road building, 91;

and the need for new roads, 180, 195-6;

danger of crossing roads confined to, and solution of difficulty, 198-9

IRELAND, Chester once the port for, 70

IRON INDUSTRY, the Wealden, 131

ISLAM, Western, influence of drift sand on roads of, 36

ITALY, marshes created by the Road in, 65

JERUSALEM, 70

JUNIPER HILL, near Dorking road, 149

JURA, the, gradients of roads in, 40

KENT, Roman road system in, 98;

Roman campaigns in, 102-3;

early trackways through, 120-29;

approach to London from, 121

LAMBETH, crossing of Thames at, 121;

and early trackway, 129

LANCASHIRE, effect of marsh on, 15;

plain of, 105, 126;

communication of with main trackway, 122

LANDES, the, scarcity of roads in, 53

LEA, RIVER, 122

LEATHERHEAD and Stane Street, 170

LEGISLATION, road, 60-61, 83, 106, 115, 186-8;

suggested for arterial roads, 201-5

LEITH HILL and Stane Street, 139, 166, 169

LEWES, lowest old bridge at, 97;

and the south coast road, 99

LINCOLN, 35

LINCOLNSHIRE, 125

LITTLEHAMPTON, swing bridge at, 98-9

LIVERPOOL, 129

LIVERPOOL STREET STATION, 68

LOCOMOTIVE (see Railroad)

LONDON, crossing of Thames at, 15;

plans for rebuilding after Great Fire, 58-9;

growth of due to railroads, 67-8;

and spread of Christianity, 70;

potential between Dover and, 108;

centre of a series of trackways, 116-7, 120-2, 129;

and Stane Street, 132, 165-6;

and Watling Street, 140, 162-4;

road entries into, 201;

and Chester, 70, 72, 148;

lack of potential between, 164

LONDON BRIDGE, OLD, 21;

avoidance of high gradient and result, 24;

convergence of roads to, 25;

effect of on development of the city, 29;

function of in making an inland port, 30;

lowest old bridge on the Thames, 97;

and necessity of detours by Roman troops, 103;

advantage of site of, 122

LYME REGIS, 98

LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH, GRADIENTS AT, 42

LYONS, double crossing of streams at, 32;

spread of Christian religion to, 70

MACADAM, 90;

and the improvement of road surface, 189-90

MAESTRICHT, 29

MANCHESTER, 122

MARBLE ARCH and Watling Street, 164

MARSH, effect of on course of roads, 7-10;

impassability of, 14-15;

divided Lancashire from Southern England, 15;

Thames estuarine, 15;

protected Venice, 15;

and Russian Church, 15;

and Russian Revolution, 15;

isolation of Gargano due to, 15;

effect of on course of road from Pulborough to Arundel, 17;

and Eastern and Western European civilisation, 15;

at Bramber, 18;

created by roads, 64-5;

Pinsk, 76-7;

of Thames estuary, 121-2;

effect of on Roman roads, 103-4;

formation of during Dark Ages by disrepair of Roman road at river crossings, 158-9

MARSHES, disappearance of section of Roman roads in during Dark Ages, 149-55

MATERIAL for road construction, influence of proximity on course and number of roads, 14, 52-5;

diversity of in England, 105-6

MEDWAY, the, 19;

crossing of at Snodland, 130;

at Rochester, 130

MELUN, double crossing of streams at, 32

MENAI STRAITS, suspension bridge over, 188

MENDIPS, lead mines of, 98;

trackway to, 120

MERSEY, RIVER, marshes of, 122

MERTON, gap in Roman road between Epsom race-course and, 149;

and Stane Street, 166-70

MICHELHAM and Stane Street, 170

MIDDLE AGES, the, and bridge building, 22;

and the bridge as a place of toll, 26;

road system of, 114, 154, 177-8

MIDHURST, 131

MILITARY ROADS, Roman roads designed as, 133-7;

in U.S.A., 75;

on the Rhine, 75;

Alpine, 75

MOLE, RIVER, 19;

crossing of by Pilgrims’ Way, 131

MONTREUIL, 31

MOROCCO, effect of “nullahs” in, 36-7

MOSELLE, valley of, 44-6

MOTOR VEHICLE, the (see Internal-combustion Engine)

NAPLES, 70

NERO, 102

NEWCASTLE, bridge of, 97;

function in making an inland port, 30

NEWHAVEN, swing bridge at, 99

Nodal Points, definition of, 26;