Cobbled Roads (ETW building)
| Cobbled Roads | |
|---|---|
| Category: | Roads |
| Level: | 1 |
| Turns to build: | 3 |
| Building cost: | 1500 |
| |
| Requires | |
 Basic Roads | |
| Enables | |
 Metalled Roads | |
These are hardwearing roads paved with small stones, able to take much heavy traffic.
Building a cobbled road is an incredibly laborious business. Each small paving stone must be shaped, placed and mortared into position. If done properly, the road also requires foundations, a careful camber to carry away rain water, and extensive drainage on either side. The end result is a fine road that is extremely durable, but not entirely comfortable for carts, carriages or foot traffic: cobbles can be hellishly bumpy!
Historically, the expense of cobbles, and the fine-looking result of cobbling a street, meant that they were often only used in or near towns or for high-status routes where the great and the good could not be expected to wallow in the mud like poor people. Cobbles, however, did serve the poor in another way: they were the perfect size for rioters! Levered out of place, they were the ideal thrown weapon (along with the half-house brick or “brickbat”) for a bit of informal remonstrating with any nearby unwelcome representatives of law and order.