Summary

A guidepost dating to the early-C20, designed and cast by W H Smith and Co (Whitchurch) Ltd.

Description

Guidepost, early-C20, designed and cast by W H Smith and Co (Whitchurch) Ltd.

MATERIALS: cast iron

DESCRIPTION: the hollow cast-iron circular section tapering shaft rises off a moulded torus base; it has a moulded architrave with a plain vertical frieze, capped by a simple moulded cornice. A narrower round-section shaft rises above the cornice and supports four cast-iron direction fingers, with raised black-painted 3-inch (76 mm) high upper case capital letters, on a white background. These read: RINGWAY 3¼ / WILMSLOW 5; ROSTHERNE / MERE; MOBBERLEY 3¾ / ALDERLEY EDGE 7½. The fingers have straight corners, and single cast shaft hoops secured by locking nuts. A cast-iron finial in the form of the base of a pawn chess piece has an annulus roundel with recessed raised letters, that reads: ASHLEY BUCKLOW RDC, caps off the hollow shaft supporting the fingers. A modern painted timber finger that reads: ASHLEY SCHOOL is attached by metal brackets to the top surface of the eastern finger.

History

Guideposts or fingerposts were once a very common roadside feature throughout the United Kingdom, providing directions for travellers at junctions and, in some cases, distances as well. From the 1860s onwards their numbers grew, particularly following the County Council Act of 1888. The Motor Car Act of 1903 passed responsibility for the provision of all traffic signs to local authorities and increased standardisation of design followed the issuing of design guidance by the Local Government Board in 1904. With the introduction of motor cars, increased legibility became of paramount importance; in 1921 the Ministry of Transport advocated the standardisation of black lettering on white backgrounds, and in 1933, new rules came into force that required the lettering on the fingers to be black capital letters set against a white background; the fingers to have straight corners, and that the posts to which the fingers were attached, should have a black and white paint scheme.

The increase in road traffic following the First World War brought about a further change, which resulted in new or replacement fingerposts being required to display the road classification and number. Cast-iron plates displaying the road numbers were also often attached to earlier fingerposts, using connectors or clamps. During the Second World War, the direction fingers were removed from the fingerposts as an anti-invasion contingency, to confuse any would-be invaders. Post-war most were re-instated, but not all. After 1965, new standardised graphic aluminium signs were introduced under the auspices of the Worboys Committee, resulting in most fingerposts and cast-iron signs being taken down and sold for scrap.

Map regression shows that there has been a guidepost at Ashley (Houghgreen) crossroads since at least 1897, when it was situated on the south-western side of the junction; however, sometime during the late 1960s or early 1970s it was moved to its present position following the demolition of the police station. The current guidepost is situated on the verge on the south-eastern side of Ashley crossroads opposite the Greyhound public house, Ashley Barn, and the Old Smithy. It was designed and cast by W H Smith and Co (Whitchurch) Ltd and was once of a common type used throughout Cheshire. The company traded from 1842 until 1937, and it is believed that this fingerpost was produced before 1922, after which it was a requirement for road classification numbers to be displayed on the direction fingers; however, two of the fingers do display mileages.

Reasons for Listing

The guidepost at the junction of Back Lane and Mobberley Road, Ashley, East Cheshire, early-C20, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the guidepost has a high level of intrinsic design interest, with fingers displaying black painted raised lettering, squared corners, and an annular finial;
* as an example of an evolving guidepost design by W H Smith and Co (Whitchurch) Ltd that shows evidence of standardisation in response to the Motor Car Act of 1903, and guidance by the Local Government Board in 1904 and 1921, and the Ministry of Transport rules introduced in 1922 and in 1933;
* a rare example of a once ubiquitous form of street furniture, most of which were removed after 1964.

Historic interest:

* as an important part of the history of road transport in England and erected at a time when there was a rapid growth in motor travel, which required clear directional information for motorists.

Group value:

* the guidepost has a strong functional and spatial group value with two other guideposts in Ashley Parish.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)