A Pain In The Toll

Get your moolah ready…

his is one of those little slices of Greystones history where, we’re hoping, one of the local eggheads can finesse the finer points.

What we do know is that, once upon a time, taking The Turnpike – the lane that links Church Road to Trafalgar Road – used to have a toll.

The confusion lies in exactly where and exactly why the toll took place.

A turnstile at the Church Road entrance would suggest that the money changed hands right there. But was it a toll for the link between the two bookending streets, or did payment provide access to the now-overgrown path that leads from The Turnpike straight to the harbour?

This overgrown entrance is on the end of the long, straight walk from Church Road down the Turnpike, on that first bend.

This path used to lead you straight by the back of The Seapatrick Hotel – now Greystones Nursing Home – which had its own private entrance to this handy pathway that led to the harbour.

A quick walk around today revealed the overgrown entrance halfway down The Turnpike, and, from the Seapatrick (now Greystones Nursing Home) side, a clear sign of the original pathway, this time not quite so overgrown but stopped in its tracks by new buildings.

If any historical heavies out there know the full details, please, do let us know, on [email protected], or in the comments below.

At least we now know where Sisk got the idea from…