Early records describe a Toll House built in 1824 at the bottom of Birkby Lane as it joins Bradford Road on the Brighouse side of the junction and early records talk of a wooden bridge called the Bradford and Huddersfield Turnpike Toll Bridge and the fees were thought to be collected by the Toll House by means of a gate or chain to control access through the village although this all came to an abrupt end in 1875 when toll roads became abolished, there is some suggestions that they were also bailiffs collecting local debts and the village was named after this toll house along with the bridge that crossed under the village centre.
Later records show the old Toll House being bought by T. F. Firth & Company in 1875/6 for £70 and pulled down along with Bailiff Bridge Working Men’s Institute to make way for their new offices Clifton House? This impressive office block still stands today and is a grade 2 listed building and is now used by many different companies including the sites current owners ‘Blackshaw Holdings Ltd’.
