Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Notes:

Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).

Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.

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THE ROAD

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Profit, Conveniency, and Pleasure, to the whole Nation.

Being a short Rational Discourse, lately presented to His Majesty,
Concerning the

High-ways of ENGLAND:

Their _Badness_, the _Causes_ thereof, the _Reasons_ of those
_Causes_, the impossibility of ever having them _Well-mended_
according to the _Old way_ of _mending_.

But may most certainly be done, and for ever so maintained (according
to _This New way_) substantially, and with very much _Ease_.

And so, That in the very depth of _Winter_ there shall not be much
_Dirt_, no _Deep-Cart-rutts_, or _High-ridges_; no _Holes_, or
_Uneven Places_; nor so much as a _loose stone_ (the very Worst of
Evils both to Man and Horse) in any of the _Horse-Tracts_.

Nor shall any Person have cause to be once put out of his way in any
hundred of miles Riding.

_To mend_ High-ways, _loe Here the way is shewn,
No better way than This, shall e’re be known:
A Firm and Certain way, of no great Cost,
In all wayes else their Labour’s wholly lost.
The Old way ne’re could do’t, ’twas meer Deceit,
As may be prov’d, it was a very_ Cheat.

Printed for a Publick good in the Year 1675.

AN OLD TITLE PAGE showing the antiquity of the Road Problem

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THE ROAD

_By_
HILAIRE BELLOC

_Printed & Published for_
THE BRITISH REINFORCED
CONCRETE ENGINEERING CO. LTD.
_By_ CHARLES W. HOBSON, St. James’s Sq., MANCHESTER
1923

THE CONTENTS

§ I THE ROAD IN GENERAL
_Page_

CHAPTER I The Origin of Roads

_How Did the Road Come into Existence: The Experimental or
the Scientific Method: The Haphazard Road: The Case for
Design in Road Construction_ 3

CHAPTER II The Crossing of Marsh and Water

_Physical Factors Modifying the Formula of the Road: Marsh
as the Chief Obstacle to Travel: The Political Results of
Marshes: The Crossing of Water Courses: The Origin of the
Bridge: The Effect of Bridges upon Roads: The Creation of a
Nodal Point: The Function of the Nodal Point in History_ 13

CHAPTER III Passability

_The Choice of Soils: Following the Gravel or the Chalk:
Conditions in the South and East: The Obstacle of Gradient:
The Early Vogue of Steep Gradients: “The Other Side of the
Hill”: The Modern Importance of Gradient: Passes or Gaps in
Hill Country_ 33

CHAPTER IV The Obstacle of Vegetation

_The Special Expenditure due to Forest: Roads which Skirt
Woodlands: Roads which have been Deflected by Forest:
Proximity of Material as a Final Main Cause Modifying the
Trajectory of a Road: Cost of Transporting Material and its
Effects in Ancient and Modern Times_ 47

CHAPTER V Political Influences

_The Factor of Cost Resulting in the “Strangling of
Communication”: Congestion which leads to decay: A Great
Modern Problem: The Compulsory Acquisition of Land: Old
Roads Serving New Objects_ 56

CHAPTER VI The Reaction of the Road

_The Physical Effects of Roads: The Way in Which the Road
Compels Communication to follow it: The Formation of Urban
Centres and the Urban Habit: The Spread of Ideas by Means
of Roads: History Deflected by the Deflection of the Road:
The Example of Shrewsbury and Chester: Towns which are
Maintained by Roads: The Road in Military History: Results
of the Decay of Roads: The Road as a Boundary_ 63

§ II THE ENGLISH ROAD

CHAPTER VII The Road in History

_Through the Dim Ages: The Characteristics of the English
Road: Absence of Plan: A Local instead of a National System
Leading to the Present Crisis_ 81

CHAPTER VIII The “Blindness” of English Roads

_The Two Causes Governing the Development of English
Roads--Waterways and Domestic Peace: The Relation of the
English Road to Military Strategy_ 92

CHAPTER IX Five Stages

_The “Potential” in Political Geography Examples: The
Primitive Trackways: The Roman Road System: The Earlier
Mediaeval Period: The Later Mediaeval Period: The Turnpike
Era_ 107

CHAPTER X The Trackways

_The Three Divisions of the British Pre-Roman Road
System--the System of which Salisbury Plain was the
“Hub”: The System Connected with London: Cross-Country
Communications--The Three Factors which Have Determined
Travel in Britain_ 116

CHAPTER XI The Making of the Roman Road

_The Great Initiative: The Mark of the Roman Military
Engineer: The Theory and Practice of the Straight Line:
Modifications of the Straight Line: How it was Carried Out:
The Method of Odds and Evens_ 133

CHAPTER XII The Dark Ages

_The Decline of the Roman Road: The Period at its
Occurrence: Gaps: Roman Roads which Fell into Disuse: The
Relationship of the Modern to the Roman System: Watling
Street: Stane Street: The Short Cut Between Penkridge and
Chester: Peddars Way: The Coming of the New Civilization in
the Twelfth Century_ 147

CHAPTER XIII Wheeled Traffic and the Modern Road

_The Transition from the Horse to the Vehicle: The
Distinctive Mark of the Later Seventeenth Century: The
Turnpike System: The Underlying Idea of the Turnpike: Its
Decline and the First Emergence of the General National
System in 1810: Thomas Telford and His Work: The Movement
Connected with the Name of Macadam: The Coming of the
Locomotive and its Results on Canals and Roads_ 179