Coal Posts
In my travels around the Orpington area, I've come across
several Coal Posts (or more correctly 'Coal and Wine Tax Posts'), which date
from the 1850's. These are often found in apparently obscure places today, but
used to mark the places around London at which taxes were payable on goods
coming into the city. These taxes were used to pay for bridges across the River
Thames, street paving and new access roads into London.
In 1985,
Bromley Council undertook a renovation program for the local posts, including
setting upright posts that had become dislodged from their original positions.
The posts were also cleaned and painted. All twenty three posts in the Bromley
Borough are still in their original locations, though some are on private or
railway land.
We have
now managed to find all of the ones near Orpington; these are shown in anti-clockwise order around London.
Thanks to Steve Wheeler for braving the nettles and taking some of these photos. Click on
most of the images for a close up of that post.
Junction of Cudham Lane North and Old Hill (Map)
South End of Farnborough By-Pass, by Garage/Rose & Crown (Map)
West end of Green St Green High Street (Map)
Junction of Green St Green High Street and Farnborough Hill (Map)
Junction of Sevenoaks Road and Shire Lane, Green St Green (Map)
Front
Garden of a house in Warren Road, Orpington (Map)
Jun-05 Update: It has been reported that this post has
unfortunately now
been removed.
Feb-06 Update: Good news; it's still there but a bit buried.
Next to the Railway line near Crown Close (Map)
Goddington Lane, Orpington (Map)
Chelsfield Lane,
Orpington (Map)
One post has a particularly clear makers plate at the bottom, showing
"Henry Grissell 1861, Regents Canal Iron Works, London"
More
Coal posts
Further Investigation
The Corporation of London have a web page and a downloadable
list of the location of all Coal Posts around London at Corporation of London Coal Posts
Roger W. Haworth has an excellent guide to Coal Posts, including
some different photos of the ones in this area, at Coal and Wine Tax Posts
There are also more detailed descriptions of the history of Coal Posts at Hertfordshire's Coal Posts and at
Elmbridge Coal and Wine Tax Posts
If anyone has any more information about coal posts, or even
better, some pictures of other ones, please let me (Phil Wheeler) know via our Contact Page. Thanks!
Last Updated 06-Nov-2007
