London is ever-surprising. I remember thinking just that when I found out that many of the city’s streets were once paved with wood.
In this blog post I look at the history behind London’s wooden streets and where to find remnants and clues to this practice in the modern metropolis.
Wood block paving is also one of the many little fascinating details in my new book; London: A Guide For Curious Wanderers!
London’s Streets Are Paved With… Wood
If we go back to the 18th century, the most popular choice of paving material for London’s roads were stone cobbles.
However, the 19th century arrived and as London’s streets became more and more congested with carriages, omnibuses and bicycles, problems began to arise. One of the main issues was noise. The noise of thousands of horse’s hooves and carriage wheels on stone cobbles was said to be deafening.
Experiments were carried out with materials such as asphalt around Bank station in 1869 but this proved to be too expensive.
In 1873 a trial with wood block paving was carried out in the City of London. It proved to be quieter and actually safer for horses. It was also conveniently cheaper and pretty durable.
Wood block paving was therefore installed across most of London’s busiest thoroughfares. Other cities in the UK and across the world also went through the same process.
IanVisits, a fantastic website by the way, has written a brilliant very detailed post on the full development of wood block paving.
The Drawbacks
Wood did have some drawbacks. Firstly, of course, it had to be sourced from somewhere.
Great swathes of hardwood forest in places across the empire, such as Australia, were cut down for the construction of the roads. Streets in Melbourne and Sydney were paved with wooden blocks in the same period.
It also was more absorbent than stone cobbles, soaking up the city’s offending liquids, namely horse dung and urine. You can just imagine the stench on a hot summers day.
As automobiles gradually took over from the 1920s the wooden blocks were gradually replaced with tar. Some roads in London were however still paved with wood right up until the 1950s.
Many may well remember wooden blocks being collected to use as firewood after they were dug up from the roads. In fact, Alan Sugar started his career selling salvaged wooden road blocks.
Where To Spot Remaining Sections Today
The two best places to see wooden block paving in modern day London are on Chequer Street in Islington and Belvedere Road behind the London Eye.
It is unclear whether this section on Chequer Street is original but it is a great example none the less of how the roads would have looked.
The scattered sections on Belvedere Road, muddled in with the modern road materials, are my favourites.
Also keep your eyes peeled for the odd drain/manhole cover that has not been replaced and still contains the wooden blocks. I have seen many on my travels around London.
I found two on Camden High Street for example.
And one on Upper Street in Angel.
I have put together a map below of the places mentioned above, plus one near Kings Cross Station.
That is one of the things I very much love about London, that even the most seemingly mundane objects such as a manhole cover can tell a fascinating story.
Let me know in the comments if you have spotted any!
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Hi,
I was a Traffic Policeman in the Met and my older colleagues used to talk about how lethal the wooden blocks were for motorcyclists. They absorbed the oil that was dropped onto the road surface and when it rained the oil rose to the surface, resulting in the road becoming an ice rink in terms of grip.
I remember the area around the west end of St Paul’s Cathedral was paved with wooden blocks till they were replaced with stone sets in the 1980s. It’s a shame as they were still in very good condition.
This was completely new to me. What a shame though about the deforestation From June
I remember the wooden blocks paving the streets near where I was brought up in West Kilburn. We called them tarry blocks. They saved my mother when she was run over by a cab as a child and her leg had fallen into a depression in the blocks.
This blog is a fascinating window into the city’s past, spotlighting the once-hidden wooden streets. Their meticulous research brings history alive, enriching our connection to London’s heritage. The comments section is filled with readers sharing their excitement for these hidden gems.
Superb story!
If these blocks became exposed my mum would tell me pry some out of the road for fire wood . hackney.