Toll End

Toll End is a residential area of Tipton in the West Midlands of England. It was developed during the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution which saw previously rural Tipton developed as one of the most prolific manufacturing and mining towns in the country. It is situated on the former A461 road which connects Dudley to Walsall.

Several factories were built around Toll End as the area developed during Victorian times, and many houses were built to accommodate the workers. Private and council housing saw the area further expand between 1920 and 1970.

The main road through Toll End - Toll End Road - is no longer part of the main Dudley to Walsall route following the completion of the Black Country Spine Road in 1995.

But the biggest change around Toll End has no doubt been the de-industrialisation of the area since the 1970s. Most of the local industry has gone due to a de-industrialisation of the Black Country, though the local electricity power generation firm - NPower - has remained in the area since its current base was built in about 1960.

Much of the land around Toll End previously occupied by industry has been developed for modern housing, with a number of substantial private housing developments having taken place since 1990.

Eagle Crossing - a level crossing situated in Eagle Lane on the border with West Bromwich - was a significant local landmark in Toll End. It was opened in 1850 on the completion of the South Staffordshire Line between Stourbridge and Walsall, and for many years had a signal box which was typical of many which existed - and still exist - throughout the country. The line at Eagle Crossing closed in 1993 and two years later a four-span "viaduct" style roadbridge was constructed above road level to carry the new Spine Road.

Eagle Lane was also home to a factory owned by Birmingham-based firm JF Ratcliff metals, built in the late 19th century and employing hundreds of workers until its closure in December 1989. Demoltion took place shortly after closure and within four years the site was occupied by a private housing estate, one of the roads being called Ratcliff Way.

Despite the extensive residential developments around Toll End in the last 20 years, many older buildings still remain, including dozens of turn-of-the-20th century terraced houses on the main Toll End Road.

See Also

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Npower_(UK) npower UK]