Summary

Coal Duty boundary marker. Erected c1881.

Description

MATERIAL: cast iron, painted white.

DESCRIPTION: between 1.2m and 2m in total height but the post is deeply buried with only around 650mm showing above ground. It is square in plan with chamfered corners and a pyramidal cap. The front face bears a raised shield from the City of London’s Arms with a red painted cross, set between roll mouldings at the top of the post. Below the lower moulding, the Act citation ‘ACT 24 & 25/ Vict Cap 42’ is just legible.

History

Taxes had been levied on the importation of coal into the City of London since the medieval period and various successive Acts of Parliament allowed the City to spend the proceeds on public works, notably rebuilding St Paul’s Cathedral and the City Churches after the Great Fire of 1666. Originally, nearly all coal arrived by ship at the port of London and was taxed at the point of embarkation but by the C19 it was increasingly transported overland by canal and rail. Under the Coal Duties (London and Westminster and Adjacent Counties) Act of 1851, Coal Duty markers were erected around London to mark the point where duty became payable. This boundary had been established by the Coal Duty, London Act of 1845 at a distance of 20 miles from the General Post Office. The London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Act of 1861 established the Metropolitan Police District plus the City of London as the new boundary and around 280 standardised cast-iron markers were installed to mark it. The duty on coal was finally abolished in 1889.

Reasons for Listing

The cast iron Coal Duty Boundary Marker on Wood Lane, Dagenham, erected c1861, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reason:
* Historic interest: as a tangible reminder of the tax on coal imported into London from the medieval period until its abolition in 1889. It also marks the position of the Metropolitan Police District boundary when erected in 1861.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26676528

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings