Summary
A cast-iron milepost, erected probably around 1818.
Description
A cast-iron milepost, erected probably around 1818.
DESCRIPTION: it consists of a cylindrical-fluted base onto which is surmounted a tall, fluted cast-iron shaft with decorative enrichment of bud-like form to the lower section. The shaft supports decorative wrought-iron scrollwork arms with simple acanthus leaf embellishment. These support an early-C21 wooden place name board (original not extant). At the top of the shaft there is further acanthus leaf decorative work.
History
The Stratford-upon-Avon to Long Compton Turnpike Trust was established by Act of Parliament in 1729 and a turnpiked road was subsequently established from Bridge Town in the parish of Old Stratford to the top of Long Compton Hill. An Account and Minute Book of March 1790 records that ‘Triangular Mile Posts be set up along the road with two iron plates to each of them setting forth the distance from London and Oxford’. The mileposts do not, however, appear to have been erected until around 1818 when an Act was passed which included provisions for the turnpike to be extended from Long Compton to the Inn at Chapel House to the south-east, along a new stretch of road also sanctioned in the same Act. A milepost (Shipston on Stour 7) in the same sequence is depicted on this new stretch of road on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1887, but does not seems to be extant.
The milepost (London 82) at SP 25872 40771 on Church Street in Shipston-on-Stour is depicted on the 1887 Ordnance Survey map which records the distances as Stratford-on-Avon 10, Chapel House 10; on the 1905 map they are shown as Stratford-on-Avon 10¼, Long Compton 6. It was restored in 2017.
Reasons for Listing
The milepost at SP 25872 40771 on Church Street, Shipston-on-Stour is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* it has an unusually ornate and visual design which is enriched with decorative scrollwork.
Historic interest:
* as testament to the wave of road improvement and the introduction of turnpikes which facilitated the transport needs of this part of Warwickshire in the C18 and C19.
Group value:
* it is one of a series of almost identical mileposts built for this turnpike trust along this national route, of which six are known to survive.
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
A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)