By Danny Howell.
From Warminster And District Archive magazine, No.1, Winter 1988:
Up until about 1984, a milepost adjacent to the B3095 road, between Bishopstrow and Sutton Veny, was clearly visible. In the early 1980s, when travelling to and from North End Farm, Sutton Veny, where I was working one or two days a week, I remember making a mental note of this milepost’s existence every time I passed it. In more recent years it has been hidden by brambles, bush and scrub; so much so that some people thought it no longer existed.
At my suggestion, Reg Cundick (Conservation Officer at the Dewey Museum, Warminster) and myself visited the area on the afternoon of Tuesday 12th January 1988, and with the aid of a large scale Ordnance Survey map we successfully located the milepost within a clump of brambles. With spade, scythe, and billhook we cleared all the undergrowth from around it, making it clearly visible to motorists and passers-by once more.
The milepost is situated west of the road, south of where the Warminster Bypass crosses under the B3095, and is approximately 50 paces north of the turning for Cooper’s Bottom. The milepost stands not on the edge of road but about 19 feet west of the edge, where the grass verge meets an adjoining strip of woodland scrub. The position of the post, so far from the edge of the road, suggests that it has either been moved or the road, somewhen in the past, has been realigned to the east. (Other mileposts in the area are close to the roadside). The Ordnance Survey map reference for this milepost on Sutton Veny Common is ST 893430.
It is constructed of five-eighths of an inch thick cast iron, with no back. Its pointed cap gives it something of a classical style (rather handsome I think), typical of the design followed by Carson & Miller at their Wiltshire Foundry in Warminster. Their initials “C&M” and “W” for Warminster, with the date “1840” appear near the base. The legend on the front reads: “WARMINSTER TOWN HALL 2 MILES, CHILMARK 8 MILES”. The design is identical to those on the A36 between Warminster and Wilton, some of those on the A350 between Warminster and East Knoyle, one in Sutton Veny, one at Tytherington, one at Imber Road, Warminster, and one at Parsonage Farm, Elm Hill, Warminster; and another similar example exists on the A36 at Chapmanslade. Not all are marked with Carson & Miller’s initials, which suggests that other foundries copied C & M’s original design.
I returned to the milepost on Sutton Veny Common, on the morning of Thursday 14th January 1988, to examine its condition and survey its dimensions. While doing so, two motorists stopped, quite independently, got out and had a chat with me. Each gentleman commented how nice it was to see an old familiar landmark again, and how it was a pity that more wasn’t being done, in an obvious way, to reinstate and maintain these markers. I agreed, but explained how it was probably the responsibility of the Highways Department of Wiltshire County Council, and they were no doubt having to heed the Government spending cuts!
While at the site I made the following notes: “The milepost is in good condition, shows no obvious faults in its structure physically, and serves well as an example of its type. The front, top and sides are painted white (which is flaking) and the raised lettering is black. The rim at the top of the stem is painted with a black line; and another black line is painted round the base of the roof (below the “eaves’). The location of the post away from the road edge, standing against a bank (the top of the bank comes about half way up the back of the post), affords it some protection from damage. The proximity of a strainer wire supporting a nearby telegraph pole is attracting and encouraging brambles. Apart from the use of weedkiller in the future (I abhor the use of chemicals) the site is going to warrant the regular use of manual labour to prevent the milepost becoming overgrown again. The stem of the milepost is 33 inches high (from the ground level rim to the base of the cap), 18 inches wide and 6 inches in depth. The measurement from the base to the tip of the cap is approximately 37 and a half inches. The cap, which slopes forwards and to the sides, left and right, is 22 and a half inches wide by 8 and a half inches deep. The height of the cap is nearly 5 inches.”
A full record of the measurements, including the height of the lettering and the spaces between the lines, I noted on some accompanying plans. I have deposited my origina notes and plans, together with photographs of the front, rear and sides of the milepost, with the files of the Warminster History Society at the Dewey Museum. Readers are welcome to consult these but should seek the permission of the Museum’s Curator first.