Romsey heritage: The state of the roads in the early 20th century

Although it makes no mention of potholes the rest of the description could well be used now, over a hundred years later.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries the Romsey Advertiser recorded many complaints about the state of the roads in Romsey. In winter they were wet and muddy and in summer dry and dusty. In summer Romsey employed water sprinklers to lay the dust. In 1911 a new water cart was purchased and in the Advertiser on April 26 it was recorded that: "The cart certainly sprinkles with a force to command road and pavement in some parts of the town but of course the driver has to have a few lessons before he can become proficient with the levers, and in the meantime pedestrians cyclists and others must look to their own safety if they desire to keep dry shoes." 

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Until 1909-11 the bridges at Greatbridge and Timsbury Bridge were timber structures which must have had difficulty carrying any heavy traffic like steam traction engines. Middlebridge is thought to have been built in stone in the 13th century although it is not mentioned until 1380. It was ruinous by the 18th century and was rebuilt in the 1780s. The designer of the new stone bridge was Robert Mylne, a well known London architect brought in by Lord Palmerston but even he declared it was one of the most difficult projects he had faced. The difficulties were due to the peat and gravel on which the bridge had to be built. It was rebuilt again in the 1930s to reduce the steepness of the 'hump' as well as to strengthen the bridge itself. 

Also in 1911 the long awaited tarring of the roads in Romsey began. The town complained that no new metalling had been put on the roads in the town for some time because it was all used up improving the Greatbridge road after the building of the new bridges. Tarring began in Latimer Street and Station Road on May 8 and the tar machine attracted much attention and many onlookers found themselves showered with particles of tar. 

An even greater audience was drawn when the tar machine caught fire in Church Place and the fire brigade had to be called to get the fire under control.