Hanover Street, Stone Tramways

Hanover Street retains its original stone tramways. These are large granite baulks, laid into the normal cobbled surface. They form a smooth path for cart wheels, whilst allowing a good grip for horses. The size of the blocks was apparently dictated by law, at 2 feet x 5 feet x 8 inches deep. The surface of this, one of the City's few surviving cobbled streets, is made up of setts or small cut blocks of granite with an inset granite strip on one side to assist carts on the steep uphill climb. This arrangement was once common in cobbled streets or on steep hills. The granite blocks provided a smoother surface for the wheels of the carts whilst the traditional setts between the lines allowed a better grip for the horses hooves. This system was only provided for the traffic travelling up the steep slope of the street. The idea is thought to have been first used in Northern Italy and first introduced into this country in the early 19th century. Hanover Street itself was laid out when the massive bonded warehouses were built from 1841-1844 (HER ref. 5168). LOCAL LIST