Milestone on Clapham Common South Side Marking 4 Miles from Whitehall, Clapham Common, London

Entry Name: Milestone on Clapham Common South Side Marking 4 Miles from Whitehall

Listing Date: 14 June 2021

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1475098

ID on this website: 101475098

Location: Clapham Common, Clapham, Lambeth, London, SW4

County: London

District: Lambeth

Electoral Ward/Division: Clapham Common

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Lambeth

Traditional County: Surrey

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Greater London

Summary

A milestone, probably erected in its present location in the early C19 but dating from 1745.

Description

A milestone, probably erected in its present location in the early C19 but dating from 1745.

MATERIALS
Limestone.

DESCRIPTION
The milestone takes the form of a carved pillar of limestone with a square-section shaft and a pyramidal cap. The front (south-east) face bears the inscription: WHITEHALL/ 4/ MILES. Further inscriptions to the north-east and south-west faces both read: ROYAL/ EXCHANGE/ 4 ½/ MILES. The top halves of the three inscribed faces are slightly set back, apparently having been re-carved in the C19 and possibly again after the Second World War.

History

Milestones, along with mileposts and guideposts, are one of the most widespread forms of street furniture. Roads undergo such considerable alteration that milestones can be of particular note as testaments to the development of our transport network, and as reminders of the different perceptions of distance in a pre-motorised age. Milestones became prevalent in the mid-C18 when turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide such markers along their routes.

The milestone on Clapham Common South Side is part of a series of milestones probably erected in 1745 and later inherited by the Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust, which was established in 1755. The milestones along the route marked distances along the road from Westminster and London Bridge to Banstead Downs via Tooting. In the mid-C19, competition from railways caused a fall in revenue and forced closure for many turnpike trusts. The Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust ceased operations in 1870.

The milestone is marked in or close to its present position on the Ordnance Survey map of 1879 and subsequent editions where it is labelled: Royal Exchange 4 ½, Whitehall 4. The fact that it does not appear on earlier maps, such as John Rocque’s 1768 survey of Surrey and Edward Mogg’s 1817 Survey of the High Roads of England and Wales suggests that this milestone may have been relocated and the inscription re-carved at some point in the C19. This milestone matches the design and materials of others erected in 1745 along the turnpike roads from London to Brighton, but analysis of historic maps and the apparently re-carved front face suggests it does not stand in its original location. It is likely that the milestone was placed in its present location in the early C19 when many milestones along the route previously marking the distance to The Standard, Cornhill were re-inscribed with distances to the nearby Royal Exchange and to Whitehall. Many milestones across the country had their inscriptions removed in 1940 following fears of enemy invasion, but were re-inscribed after the end of the Second World War. This may have been the case for the milestone on Clapham Common South Side, which has physical evidence of having three of its faces re-carved relatively recently.

Reasons for Listing

The Milestone on Clapham Common South Side, probably dating from 1745 and erected in its current location in the early C19, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as an intact and largely legible milestone that has probably stood in its present location since the early C19.

Historic interest:

* as a mid-C18 milestone that testifies to the development of the transport network through the turnpike system.

Group value:

* as part of a sequence of surviving milestones marking the historic route between London and Brighton, and with the Grade II-listed houses directly opposite the milestone: 37 and 38 Clapham Common South Side (List entry 1080502), 36 Clapham Common South Side (List entry 1300249), York House (List entry 1080501), 34 and 34A Clapham Common South Side (List entry 1358236), and 32 and 33 Clapham Common South Side (List entry 1184201).

External Links

Historic England Listing

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.