Summary
Cast-iron milepost dated 1826.
Reasons for Designation
The milepost on the east verge of the unclassified road between Wold Newton and East Ravendale, 300m north of North Farm, Wold Newton, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Intactness: it survives intact in its original position with a legible inscription;
* Historic interest: the milepost is the last tangible remainder of the early-C19 improvements in communication between the agricultural population of the Lincolnshire Wolds and Grimsby and testifies to the development of the road transport network through the turnpike system;
* Architectural interest: unusual form of an early-C19 (1826) cast-iron milepost.
History
During the C18 and C19, turnpike trusts were created in England by local initiatives. Some adjoining trusts coordinated their activities and in some cases, even shared trustees; ensuring that the roads formed an interconnecting network. There was no direction by central government, and most turnpikes operated on a county or even district scale; in many cases, county boundaries defined the limit of responsibility of individual trusts, even though they grew into a national highway network. The milepost at Wold Newton was erected in 1826 and was maintained by the Grimsby and Wold Newton Turnpike Trust. The Trust ran a section of road that was approximately 8 miles, 5 furlongs long, between Grimsby and Wold Newton, with its responsibility of maintenance terminating at the northern end of the Wold Newton village adjacent to North Farm. The milepost is the most southerly one erected by the Trust and is shown in its present position on the Lincolnshire 1:2500 Ordnance Survey map of 1888. It is likely that the milepost has survived, due to it standing alongside of a section of unclassified minor road, whereas the majority of milestones were situated adjacent to sections of the A16 ‘Trunk’ road and the B1203 Market Rasen to Scartho (Grimsby) road; both of which, have been subject to considerable road improvements throughout the C20.
Details
Cast-iron milepost dated 1826
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