Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester
Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1047818
- Date first listed:
- 14-May-1986
- List Entry Name:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester
- Statutory Address:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1047818
- Date first listed:
- 14-May-1986
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 12-May-2025
- List Entry Name:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester
- Statutory Address 1:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
- Statutory Address 2:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
- Statutory Address:
- Milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, Dorchester-on-thames, Wallingford, OX10 7JX
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- South Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Dorchester
- National Grid Reference:
- SU5888093384
Summary
A V-shaped cast iron milepost from the early 19th century, located on the former London–Henley–Oxford turnpike and marking 48 miles from London, and restored in 2014.
Reasons for Designation
The milepost on the junction of Henley Road and Oxford Road, A4074, between Shillingford and Dorchester, erected in around 1820 and restored in 2014, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an example of a cast-iron milepost of the early-C19.
Historic interest:
* as testament to the wave of road improvement and the introduction of turnpikes which facilitated the transport needs of this part of Oxfordshire in the C18 and C19.
Group value:
* it is one of a series of mileposts and milestones erected by this turnpike trust along the route, including those numbered 47 and 49 nearby (both Grade II Listed, National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entries 1047863 and 1180994).
History
Many important routes in England were created or enhanced in the C18 or C19 to facilitate longer-distance overland travel. New and improved roads required new infrastructure including markers to inform travellers of directions and distances. Most milestones and mileposts were created and maintained by turnpike trusts; bodies established by Acts of Parliament that collected tolls from road users. From the 1740s, the trusts were encouraged to provide mile markers along their routes, and under the 1766 General Turnpike Act milestones became compulsory on all turnpike roads.
The road between Oxford and Henley on which the milepost is located formed part of the important route between London and the west country, and is probably Roman or earlier in origin. In 1736 the responsibility of the road was taken over by the Henley and Dorchester Turnpike Trust which was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 9 George II Chap 14).
The milepost is numbered 48 as a reference to its distance in miles from London, and first appears on the T Jefferys map surveyed in 1766-1767, then later the J Andrews and A Drury map of 1791, and that by J Cary of 1793-1794; all of which indicate its original position being slightly further south, near to the junction with Wharf Road in Shillingford. Later mapping of 1823 by A Bryant, and Ordnance Survey mapping of 1830 show the milepost slightly further north than on the earlier maps, but it is not until Ordnance Survey mapping of 1878 that it is marked in its surveyed location at the time of listing in 1986. Soon after listing, it is understood that the milepost was lost, later found in a ditch nearby and then put into storage. Restoration and repairs were undertaken in 2014, and the milepost installed to its current location.
Other milestones on the former Henley and Dorchester turnpike are limestone, such as those numbered 47 and 49 nearby (both Grade II) and are understood to date from the C18. The milepost is a later C19 replacement, manufactured in cast iron by T and J Perry who operated out of the Katesgrove iron foundry in Reading between 1818 and 1820.
Details
A cast iron milepost from the early C19, located on the former London–Henley–Oxford turnpike and marking 48 miles from London.
MATERIALS: primarily constructed from cast iron on a concrete support, a small section to the lower left-hand side (facing south) has been repaired in cement.
DESCRIPTION: the milepost is V-shaped in plan with a sloping triangular top and vertical headplate, positioned within a grass verge on the A4074. The inscriptions to the southern face comprise ‘Oxford 10’ and ‘Abingdon 8’, the northern face ‘Henley 13’, ‘Wallingford 2’, with ‘Shillingford’ below, and the vertical front face has ‘London 48’ and ‘T & J Perry Reading’ to the triangular sloped top.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 248168
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Haines, C, Marking the Miles - A history of English milestones, (2000)
Websites
Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group: Katesgrove Ironworks, accessed 28/03/2025 from https://biag.org.uk/the-katesgrove-ironworks/
British History Online: Warborough (Including Shillingford), accessed 28/03/2025 from https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol18/pp393-421
Grace's Guide To British Industrial History: Reading Ironworks Co, accessed 28/03/2025 from https://gracesguide.co.uk/Reading_Ironworks_Co
The Milestone Society, accessed 28/03/2025 from https://www.milestonesociety.co.uk/
English Turnpike Table, accessed 28/03/2025 from http://www.turnpikes.org.uk/English%20turnpike%20table.htm
Other
1766-1767 map by T. Jefferys
1791 map by J. Andrews and A. Drury
1793-1794 map by J. Cary
1823 map by A. Bryant
Ordnance Survey maps of various dates
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 07-Jun-2026 at 07:13:56.
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