The Watford Observer has teamed up with Watford Museum and its curator Sarah Priestley to take a journey back to the town’s past through items or places of historical significance.

The 24th item in ‘a history of Watford in 50 objects’ dates back to the 1760s but it is still visible today.

Sarah said: "From roads to railway, canals to stagecoaches, transport links have been central to Watford’s popularity as a place to live and work for centuries.

"At one time, all traffic relied on our roads and their condition which could be terrible. Before the railways we relied on horsepower and cartwheels often created terrible ruts in roads

"This lead to the development of turnpike roads – a toll road where you paid at a turnpike, or gate, to use the road and help keep it maintained. One such road was created through Watford by the Sparrows Herne Trust in 1762.

"The road stretched around 26 miles from Bushey to Aylesbury and a tollhouse was built on the Lower High Street where today you can still see the marker, embedded in the wall near Bushey Arches."

Watford Museum is currently closed under lockdown restrictions but you can still pay it a virtual visit at www.watfordmuseum.org.uk or find the museum on Facebook and Instagram @watfordmuseum