Milestone 57 on highway B645

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

A milestone on the B645, one of a series of mid-C18 milestones on a former turnpike road. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1454154
Date first listed:: 21-Aug-2018
List Entry Name:: Milestone 57 on highway B645

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1454154
Date first listed:: 21-Aug-2018
List Entry Name:: Milestone 57 on highway B645
Location Description:: located on Kimbolton Road (B645), 145m up from the junction with High Street, at TL1645461869.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Cambridgeshire
District:: Huntingdonshire (District Authority)
Parish:: Hail Weston
National Grid Reference:: TL1645461869

Summary

A milestone on the B645, one of a series of mid-C18 milestones on a former turnpike road.

Reasons for Designation

Milestone 57 on the B645 dating to the mid-C18 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a good example of C18 milestone of simple but functional design.

Historic interest:

* as an illustration of the development of the transport network in England at this date.

Group value:

* the stone forms a strong geographic and functional group with other milestones along the route on the B660 and B645 in Huntingdonshire.

History

Milestones are one of the most widespread forms of street furniture. They became prevalent in the mid-C18, when turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide such markers. Prior to the development of the turnpike road network and the proliferation of Turnpike Trusts, the King’s Highway as the primary road network in England was known. The creation of the Turnpike Road network began in the late C17 but they became far more profuse form the 1750s onwards. The turnpike roads were maintained by the Trusts with revenue gained from tolls to road users. According to the Milestone Society ‘From 1767, mileposts were compulsory on all turnpikes, not only to inform travellers of direction and distances, but to help coaches keep to schedule and for charging for changes of horses at the coaching inns.’

Milestone 57 is one of the series of milestones remaining from the Great Staughton to Catworth turnpike, via Kimbolton which now forms part of the B645 and joined the Great North Road (A1) at Crosshall. This road was established by Act of Parliament given Royal Assent in 1755 under George II. There are other stones on the route which are listed at Grade II (National Heritage List for England reference numbers 1210941; 1210883; 1211227; 1214549 and 1214550). The stone has been damaged and was recently reinstated to its location, although the top of the stone is now missing.

Details

Milestone 57 on the B645, dating to 1754-1758. MATERIALS: oolitic limestone DESCRIPTION: tall stone, roughly hewn and with rounded top with a broken top-left corner. The inscription is incised and painted black, as follows: [57 missing] MILES FROM LONDON – HAIL WESTON

Sources

Websites
Milestones and Waymakers, accessed 10/11/2017 from http://www.milestonesociety.co.uk/aboutmilestones.htm

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.