Summary
A milestone on the B645, one of a series of mid-C18 milestones on a former turnpike road.
Description
Milestone 57 on the B645, dating to 1754-1758.
MATERIALS: oolitic limestone
DESCRIPTION: tall stone, roughly hewn and with rounded top with a broken top-left corner. The inscription is incised and painted black, as follows: [57 missing] MILES FROM LONDON – HAIL WESTON
History
Milestones are one of the most widespread forms of street furniture. They became prevalent in the mid-C18, when turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide such markers. Prior to the development of the turnpike road network and the proliferation of Turnpike Trusts, the King’s Highway as the primary road network in England was known. The creation of the Turnpike Road network began in the late C17 but they became far more profuse form the 1750s onwards. The turnpike roads were maintained by the Trusts with revenue gained from tolls to road users. According to the Milestone Society ‘From 1767, mileposts were compulsory on all turnpikes, not only to inform travellers of direction and distances, but to help coaches keep to schedule and for charging for changes of horses at the coaching inns.’
Milestone 57 is one of the series of milestones remaining from the Great Staughton to Catworth turnpike, via Kimbolton which now forms part of the B645 and joined the Great North Road (A1) at Crosshall. This road was established by Act of Parliament given Royal Assent in 1755 under George II. There are other stones on the route which are listed at Grade II (National Heritage List for England reference numbers 1210941; 1210883; 1211227; 1214549 and 1214550). The stone has been damaged and was recently reinstated to its location, although the top of the stone is now missing.
Reasons for Listing
Milestone 57 on the B645 dating to the mid-C18 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a good example of C18 milestone of simple but functional design.
Historic interest:
* as an illustration of the development of the transport network in England at this date.
Group value:
* the stone forms a strong geographic and functional group with other milestones along the route on the B660 and B645 in Huntingdonshire.
External Links
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.
Recommended Books
Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
England's Post-War Listed Buildings
Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)