STEVE NEWMAN meets the man charged with preserving the county's roadside milestones.
HERE'S a quiz question for you: how old is Northumberland's oldest-surviving milestone? If you can't answer don't worry, because I know a man who can.
“Most milestones still surviving in the county come from the period of the old turnpike roads, between 1746 and 1833,” explained Iain Davison. Iain is the Northumberland representative of the Milestone Society, which is dedicated to recording, repairing and restoring the nation's milestones. The county's turnpike roads began with the Newcastle to Berwick road (1746), and ended with the short section between Ford and Crookham in north Northumberland (1833).
“We have 162 milestones of all shapes and sizes in the county listed by English Heritage, although I reckon there are probably 180 altogether,” said Iain. “There are about 50 in the Berwick area alone, and according to Ordnance Survey maps they can still be found on 23 routes today - though there may be more, as not all milestones are marked.”
Iain travels round the county, recording and repairing milestones. The problem is that many have been damaged, or removed as roads have been widened, or simply can't be seen because they have been stolen or covered by undergrowth. “They are a vital part of our history, and I would love to hear from anyone else who could help with the project,” he pleaded.
Two milestones on the Hexham-Alnmouth Corn Road. The one on the right is much older, and has the distinctive tombstone shape and Roman numerals.
Once you have been made aware of milestones, you start noticing them. There's one in Lowick, the shape of a rugby ball, which I saw recently. It turns out that this design on a semi-fluted shaft - produced by Smith Patterson & Co of Blaydon - can also be seen on roads between Morpeth and Belsay, and Alnwick and Chatton.
Another design by this company can be seen at Horsley on the old A69, and at Longhorsley on the A697. It consists of a sloping shield on a cylindrical post with two destinations and pointing arrows, and a small plaque with a raised 'C' for Carlisle or 'W' for Wooler.
Iain says that the old turnpike roads are the best places to find milestones, and some examples have been saved precisely because the main roads have been diverted away - as at Catcleugh, Gosforth and Wideopen. Incidentally, it is a curious fact that most milestones seem to be on the right side of the Great North Road going north.
Iain Davison with a milestone at Blagdon which he has restored and repainted.
The Hexham-to-Alnmouth turnpike road, also known as the Corn Road, was built in 1751 to avoid export taxes at Newcastle. Milestones here are quadrant-shaped, but beside some of these are older tombstone-shaped stones bearing Roman numerals.
By 1760 it was realised that the traveller would find it easier to read distances in Arabic numbers, and if the side faces were inscribed and set at an angle to the road. Triangular or wedge-shaped milestones then came into use, painted white with black lettering, although the milestones on the Corn Road and the Belsay-Cambo road originally appear to have been painted red.
“Around 1820, cast-iron milestones were introduced, and the most popular shape was a V-plan with a sloping top,” said Iain. In Issue 77 of The Northumbrian, a reader's letter explained that the milestones along the A1 - along with the signposts and horse troughs - were produced by Bedlington Iron Works.
The other day, as I drove through Matfen, I noticed a milestone in the form of a securely-fixed coping stone on a wall. The sheer variety of milestone shapes and sizes was slowly dawning on me. Iain travels all over the county rescuing damaged milestones, repainting and restoring them. One of the best examples of his handiwork can be seen on the old A1 at Blagdon.
“In some cases the milestones may be badly sunken or leaning over, and may have to be reset,” he said. “That way they won't suffer damage from grass-cutting flails or impact by vehicles. All work has to be checked by the appropriate highway authority.”
And the oldest surviving milestone in the county? It's just north of Vindolanda on the Roman road, the Stanegate - and it's about 2,000 years old. •
* If you would like to find out more about the Milestone Society, contact Iain Davison on (01661) 824859.
Pictures: Steve Newman