Milestone replacement project 

Essex Heritage Trust awarded a grant in March 2023 of £1,000 towards the road Milestone replacement project, led by Manningtree Museum & Local History Group. The grant was to fund replacement cast iron posts for mile markers number 64 in the parish of Wix, and 65 in the parish of Wrabness. 

Background. 

Manningtree Museum & Local History group have been working with local parish councils to produce replacements for a number of the cast iron posts that have been lost or stolen between Ardleigh and Dovercourt on the old London to Harwich Turnpike road, now a tourist route. The Museum has also produced a booklet on the history of this turnpike road and undertaken a series of illustrated talks to local history groups, particularly in Harwich. 

The provision of mile markers to assist travellers became part of the requirements set by parliament for the Turnpike trusts and subsequent authorities, with this section eventually coming under the Essex, Second District. A unique set of posts were cast at the Bendalls foundry on Colchester Road in Lawford for the trust, with a distinct curved head (The First district posts under James McAdam, have pointed heads). 

Project.

A core pattern for replacement castings was commissioned by Bob Horlock, a member of the group from Mistley, in the first instance to replace one lost by Mistley Quay. Working with Terry Philipson of CP Designs in Station Road, Gt Dunmow, subsequent changes to the pattern in regard to parish name, distances to London, Colchester and Harwich were made for each post, based on the 1834 Bendalls design. The pattern was then taken to the family run East Coast Castings in Watton, Norfolk. After casting the Museum group painted the posts in line with guidance from the Milepost Society. 

Mile Post 64

For the reason of historic boundaries, this post just falls within Wix Parish council, though it is some way from the centre of the village and on a very different route. Whilst a Mile Stone is still in place on Spinnel’s Hill, the mile post was lost sometime between 1995 and 2001. The replacement was in the end cast in June 2024 and brought back to Essex for painting. 

There was some debate on where exactly the new post should be located, somewhere it could be close to stone, but set back enough to protect it from damage, particularly from mechanical hedge cutting machinery. In July 2024 Wix Parish council negotiated and agreed a position with the relevant landowner for a safe and prominent location. They also agreed to accept the post onto their asset register. The post was finally set up and concreted in on the 18th October 2024. 

Mile post 65 in the parish of Wrabness

Along with a number of other posts in this area, according to different maps the position of this post changed for a number of unknown reasons. With no stone or images, evidence for the post location is only through O.S. and earlier maps. 

Again it is only through the historic boundaries that the post fell within the Wrabness Parish, with the main village and church someway off towards the Stour estuary. Knowing you were on the Harwich road, but within the boundary of Wrabness, may not have helped the traveller much, if not left them feeling a bit confused and possible lost! The name of the parish though was central to the marking system. 

In surveying the options, it was decided with the parish council to position the post on Cook’s corner, close to the position shown on the 1777 Chapman & Andre map. To place it safely back from the road but to remain visible, the landowners of Foxes farm were approached and gave consent for the placement by their water meter points. 

Given the success of these two replacement posts, due to the grant funding made available, further parish councils have shown an interest and agreed to work with the Museum to produce further replacements and hopefully to complete the set.