Summary
A milestone, probably erected in 1745 and inherited by the Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust in 1755.
Reasons for Designation
The Milestone on Clapham Common South Side, probably dating from 1745, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an intact and largely legible milestone that survives in its original location.
Historic interest:
* as a mid-C18 milestone that testifies to the development of the transport network through the turnpike system;
* for the presence of the Ordnance Survey benchmark, which acts as a reminder of the dual functions of marking distance and providing elevation references taken on by many milestones in the C19.
Group value:
* as part of a sequence of surviving milestones marking the historic route between London and Brighton, and with the Clapham South Deep Tube Shelter and Surface Building at Lambeth Entrance (List entry 1385901; Grade II).
History
Milestones, along with mileposts and guideposts, are one of the most widespread forms of street furniture. Roads undergo such considerable alteration that milestones can be of particular note as testaments to the development of our transport network, and as reminders of the different perceptions of distance in a pre-motorised age. Milestones became prevalent in the mid-C18 when turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide such markers along their routes.
The milestone on Clapham Common South Side is part of a series of milestones probably erected in 1745 and later inherited by the Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust, which was established in 1755. The milestones along the route marked distances along the road from Westminster and London Bridge to Banstead Downs via Tooting. In the mid-C19, competition from railways caused a fall in revenue and forced closure for many turnpike trusts. The Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust ceased operations in 1870.
The milestone is marked in or close to its present position on John Rocque’s map of Surrey of 1768 with the label 4M. It is also visible on the Ordnance Survey map of 1894 and subsequent editions where it is labelled: Whitehall 4 ½, Royal Exchange 5.
At some point in the C19, an Ordnance Survey benchmark was carved into the east face of the milestone. Such benchmarks were systematically introduced by the Ordnance Survey in 1840, but some appeared as early as 1831. Many milestones across the country had their inscriptions removed in 1940 following fears of enemy invasion, but were re-inscribed after the end of the Second World War. The present inscriptions marking distances to Whitehall and the Royal Exchange probably originate from the early C19, when measurements from The Standard were finally abandoned in favour of the nearby Royal Exchange, but may have be re-inscribed after the Second World War.
Details
A milestone, probably erected in 1745 and inherited by the Epsom, Ewell and Tooting Turnpike Trust in 1755.
MATERIALS
Limestone.
DESCRIPTION
The milestone takes the form of a carved pillar of limestone with a square-section shaft and a pyramidal cap. The front (south-east) face bears the inscription: ROYAL/ EXCHANGE/ 5/ MILES, with an Ordnance Survey benchmark below. A further inscription to the north-east face reads: WHITEHALL/ 4 ½ / MILES. A third inscription to the south-west face is partly eroded but probably also read: WHITEHALL/ 4 ½ / MILES.
