Celebrating 200 years of road cut through The Rock
It wasn't much fun travelling between Wolverhampton and Albrighton in the early 1800s.
"It was hazardous in the extreme for passengers, drivers and importantly, horses," says historian Roger Jeavons.
The worst part was Old Hill, the one-in-five gradient leading to Tettenhall's Upper Green.
"Passengers often had to disembark and walk up the hill, possibly also carrying their luggage, while the horses were somehow encouraged to struggle with the empty coach to the top," he says.
"Descending the hill was equally terrifying, with the coach slipping and sliding."
If only it were not for The Rock, a 40ft sandstone cliff which stood in the way of easy progress along the vital artery linking London with the increasingly important port of Holyhead in Anglesey.
Today thousands of people pass through The Rock at Tettenhall. Commuters heading into work, drivers heading to and from the M54. Children on the way to school, pedestrians heading into the village for a some shopping or a bite to eat.
Few of them will give a thought to the tremendous feat of engineering – not to mention hard labour – that went into producing the route we all take for granted.
It is 200 years since what is effectively the Tettenhall bypass opened to the public, removing the need for the treacherous climb to the top of the village.
