Summary
A milestone erected in 1754.
Description
A milestone erected in 1754.
MATERIALS: limestone, painted with white limewash.
EXTERIOR: the stone post has a four-centred arch top. There is an inscription on one face, carved in irregular lettering, which reads “XXII Miles To Norwich To Lynn XIX 1754”.
History
The road through the village of Mileham was for many centuries the main route between King’s Lynn and Norwich. The road is shown on one of Ogilby’s strip maps of 1675. It never became a turnpike, and by the late C18 coaches were mainly using the route through Swaffham and Dereham, possibly because a better road had become available with the opening of the Norwich, Swaffham and Mattishall turnpike in 1770.
The milestone was erected in 1754. By the early C21 it had almost become buried in the earthern bank and covered in moss, but in 2020 members of the Milestone Society excavated the earth out around it, and painted it to help preserve it, and make the inscription legible.
Reasons for Listing
The milestone at Mileham is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an early example of a milestone;
* as an intact milestone known to be in its original location.
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
Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)