North of the New-road and of its extension, as the City-road, and
westward of the New-road’s junction with Lisson-grove.
Westward of Park-lane and of the West-end parks.
Eastward of Brick-lane (Spitalfields) and of the Whitechapel
High-street.
Southward (on the Surrey side) from the New-cut and Long-lane,
Bermondsey, and both in the eastern and western direction of Southwark,
Lambeth, and the other southern parishes.
Stone pavement, on the other hand, prevails in the district which may
be said to be within this boundary, bearing down upon the Thames in all
directions.
It is, doubtlessly, the fact that in both the districts thus indicated
exceptions to the general rule may prevail--that in one, for instance,
there may be some miles of macadamized way, and in the other some miles
of granite pavements; but such exceptions, I am told by a Commissioner
of Paving, may fairly be dismissed as balancing each other.
The wooden pavement, I am informed on the same authority, does not
now comprise five miles of the London thoroughfares; little notice,
therefore, need be taken of it.
The miles of streets in the City in which stone only affords the street
medium of locomotion are 50. The stone pavement in the localities
outside of this area are six times, or approaching to seven times,
the extent of that in the City. I have no actual admeasurement to
demonstrate this point, for none exists, and no private individual can
offer to measure hundreds of miles of streets in order to ascertain
the composition of their surface. But the calculation has been made
for me by a gentleman thoroughly conversant with the subject, and
well acquainted with the general relative proportion of the defined
districts, parishes, and boroughs of the metropolis.
We have thus the following result, as regards the inner police
district, or Metropolis Proper:--
Miles.
Granite paved streets 400
Macadamized ditto (or roads) 1350
Wood ditto 5
----
Total 1755
This may appear a disproportionate estimate, but when it is remembered
that the inner police district of the metropolis extends as far as
Hampstead, Tooting, Brentford, and Greenwich, it will be readily
perceived that the relative proportions of the macadamized and paved
roads are much about the same as is here stated.
As to the cost of these several roads, I will, before entering upon
that part of the subject, state the prices of the different materials
used in their manufacture.
Aberdeen granite is now 1_l._ 5_s._ per ton, delivered, and prepared
for paving, or, as it is often called, “pitching.” A ton of “seven
inch” granite, that is, granite sunk seven inches in the ground, will
cover from two and three-quarters to three square yards, superficial
measure, or nine feet per yard. The cost, labour included, is,
therefore, from 9_s._ to 12_s._ the square yard. This appears very
costly; but in some of the more quiet streets, such as those in the
immediate neighbourhood of Golden and Fitzroy-squares, a good granite
pavement will endure for 20 years, requiring little repair. In other
streets, such as Cheapside, for instance, it lasts from three to
four years, without repavement being necessary, supposing the best
construction has been originally adopted.
For macadamized streets, where there is a traffic like that of
Tottenham Court-road, three layers of small broken granite a year are
necessary; the cost of this repavement being about 2_s._ 6_d._ a yard
superficial measure. The repairs and relayings on macadamized roads of
regular traffic range from 4_s._ to 6_s._ 6_d._ yearly, the square yard.
The wood pavement, which endures, with a trifling outlay for repairs,
for about three years, costs, on an average, 11_s._ the square yard.
The concrete used as a foundation in this street-construction costs
4_s._ 6_d._ a cube yard, or 27 feet, by which admeasurement it is
always calculated. A cube yard of Thames ballast weighs about 1-1/4 ton.
The average cost of street-building, new, taking an average breadth, or
about ten yards, from footpath to footpath, is then--
Per Mile.
£. _s._ _d._
Granite built 96 0 0
Macadamized 44 0 0
Wood 88 0 0
Or, as a total,
400 miles of granite paved streets
at £96 per mile 38,400 0 0
1350 macadamized ditto, at
£44 per mile 59,400 0 0
5 wood ditto, at £88 per mile 440 0 0
----------------
98,240 0 0
This, then (about £100,000), is the _original cost_ of the roads of the
metropolis.
The cost of repairs, &c., annually, is shown by the amount of the
paving rate, which may be taken as an average.
£ _s._ _d._
400 miles of granite, at 20_s._ per
mile 400 0 0
1350 macadamized ditto, at
£13 4_s._ per mile 17,820 0 0
5 wood[13] ditto, at 20_s._
per mile 5 0 0
----------------
Total 18,225 0 0
According to a “General Survey of the Metropolitan Highways,” by Mr.
Thomas Hughes, the principal roads leading out of London are:--