How
Turnpike Lodge
Got Its Name:

(Middle English turnepike "a turning frame bearing spikes that is used as a barrier").In the Middle Ages, a spiked barrier would sometimes be placed on a road or bridge to protect against sudden attack. The barrier would have to be turned to allow passage. The Middle English word for such a barrier was turnepike. This word was formed from the verb turnen, meaning "to turn", and the noun pike, meaning "a sharp-tipped weapon". Turnpike later came to be used as the word for a simple gate placed across a road. In order to pass through the turnpike, travelers would have to pay a fee or toll. A road on which these tollgates were found was called a turnpike road. Such a road in time became known simply as a turnpike.

This house, the Turnpike Lodge, was the house occupied by the person who collected the toll on this, the Dublin Road. As most roads were privately owned, it was necessary to have a source of revenue to ensure the upkeep of this road.
Turnpike Lodge has been the home of members of the Bennett family for over 200 years.
 

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Telephone: 044 9344913    Fax : 044 9335581

International +353 44 9344913    Fax : +353 44 9335581

E-mail: turnpikelodge@iolfree.ie