Showing the way

One of the more disappointing consequences of the modernisation of our road network is the loss of some of the old ‘street furniture’ that used to be commonplace. One example of this is the demise of the milepost or milestone. Once a common and, no doubt, comforting feature of our roads, they have now largely been replaced by more practical and, almost certainly more accurate, modern signposts and boards. Despite this move towards modern signage, it is still possible to find examples of the old milestones dotted around the landscape. Some are hidden in the undergrowth but there are those that still form a prominent part of the town’s character. In Farnham town centre, for example, there is a fairly large milestone and, just as you leave Esher in Surrey, there is a substantial milepost called the ‘White Lady’.

Some of the earliest examples of route markers in this country are, perhaps not surprisingly, of Roman age. They were’ meaning ‘Born for the good of the State’. Modern cairns have a similar function today, simply reassuring travellers that they are still on the recognised path. Earlier still are boundary signs called pudding stones, which may date back several thousand years. These were made from conglomeritic rock (a type of sedimentary rock), giving them the appearance of a plum pudding.