Finger post
Finger Post, Junction of Park Lane and Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, North Tyneside
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1408200
- Date first listed:
- 10-Sept-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Finger post
- Statutory Address:
- Finger Post, Junction of Park Lane and Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, North Tyneside
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1408200
- Date first listed:
- 10-Sept-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Finger post
- Statutory Address 1:
- Finger Post, Junction of Park Lane and Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, North Tyneside
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:
- Finger Post, Junction of Park Lane and Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, North Tyneside
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- North Tyneside (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- NZ3173971856
Summary
Guidepost. Later C19/early C20. Manufactured by Smith, Patterson & Co, Blaydon.
Reasons for Designation
This cast-iron fingerpost of later C19 or early C20 date by Smith, Patterson & Co, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Design: It is an attractive example of a later C19/early C20 cast-iron finger post with three ‘fingers’ and a finial.
* Rarity: a now rare example of a once ubiquitous form of street furniture, many of which were removed during the Second World War anti-invasion preparations.
* Historic importance: an important part of the history of road transport in England.
* Manufacturer: it was produced from the Newcastle-based Pioneer Foundry, a major guide and mile post manufacturer of the later C19 and early C20.
History
This finger post is believed to date from the later C19 or early C20, and to predate the widespread adoption of the motor car. It was manufactured by the firm of Smith, Patterson & Co at their Pioneer Foundry in Blaydon-on-Tyne, which operated from 1870 until 1954. A number of mile posts and some guide posts produced by the company are already included on the statutory list. It is first clearly identified on early Ordnance Survey maps in 1920 and predates the 1930 memorandum on direction posts issued by the Ministry of Transport specifying that the fingers should have square ends.
Details
Finger post, later C19/early C20. Manufactured by Smith, Patterson & Co, Blaydon.
Cast-Iron cylindrical post with three fingers and a triangular finial. Fingers have chamfered corners and black raised lettering. One finger points south west listing Shire Moor ½ mile, Benton 3 ½ , Newcastle 7 ¼; the second points north east and lists Earsden ½ , Hartley 3, Blyth 7 and third finger points south listing New York 1½ , North Shields 3 ¾ .
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 21-Jun-2026 at 11:12:21.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.