Guide posts of Essex - early 20th century

Pointing The Ways - Essex Guideposts

Unlike milestones, the guidepost, also referred to as signpost, finger post or direction post, still has an everyday purpose, especially in rural areas. Old wooden examples still to be seen into the 1950s have long since disappeared; in fact many were probably not re-erected in 1944. Post war, they were usually replaced by new wooden signs or precursors of the modern reflective types so common throughout the United Kingdom today. 19th century cast iron posts with fingered arms were still fairly common into the 1920s but now probably destroyed except one preserved in the Upminster Tithe Barn Museum.

A survey is currently being made to ascertain the number of old iron guide posts extant in Essex. 'Old' means those erected prior to c.1939 and mainly comprise cast iron examples ordered by Essex County Council or their agents in the 1920s and 1930s. The majority of the 1920s and 1930s posts were manufactured by the Maldon Iron Works of Fullbridge, Maldon, Essex. Although still fulfilling their role in guiding the motorist and walker alike, their future is not guaranteed and many suffer from neglect as well as destruction on the grounds of being in "an unsafe condition". From the same period, although not as yet reliably dated, are others by Stanton Ironworks, Derbyshire. The Stanton types are generally recognisable by their narrow ring (annulus) finial castings on the post and rounded ends to the arms.

More details of the posts manufactured by Maldon Iron Works for Essex County Council have recently become available. The ledgers, daybooks, order books, etc., of the company from 1873 to 1954 have been catalogued by the Essex Record Office. They may be found under record D/F 11 (with about 50 sub-divisions). The cost of Maldon Iron Works posts with arms varied between £4/15/- (£4.75p) to £6/10/- (£6.50p) in the 1920s. 7 inch arms were 12/6 (62½p) and 10½ inch arm 15/- (75p). An extra 5/- (25p) was incurred for a single stagger (one arm above the other) or 10/- (50p) for a double stagger. This was to cover the cost of extra collars between the arms.

My thanks to Brian Barrow and Jim Young for their assistance and images of Uttlesford guideposts.

Pictures of Essex Cast Iron Guideposts

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BRAINTREE

EPPING FOREST

UTTLESFORD

TENDRING

CASTLE POINT

SOUTHEND

BASILDON

HARLOW

BRENTWOOD

COLCHESTER

CHELMSFORD

ROCHFORD

THURROCK

MALDON

Greater London (Essex in London)