It’s a sign: England, part three

I am blessed with inquisitiveness. I don’t recall being the child who always asked ‘Why?’ but I have become the adult who very often asks ‘What is it?’. When I come across something I don’t know anything about, don’t understand, or find interesting or unusual, I’m always motivated to investigate.

$-type symbol on gravestones

So, when I saw how frequently this symbol – what I had visually imagined as the ‘triple dollar’ sign – appeared on the gravestones of the local churches, I had to investigate further. (As a genealogist, I have something of a fascination with graveyards.)  

Of course, it’s got nothing to do with money – all these folks weren’t memorialising the fact that they’d been wealthy during their lifetimes. Rather than a ‘triple dollar’, the symbol is made up of the three letters I, H and S superimposed one upon the other, and the letters abbreviate the Latin phrase In hoc signo vince. This translates as ‘In this sign you will conquer’ and refers to a vision experienced by Roman General Constantine. His sighting of these words, and a vibrant cross, above the sun were interpreted as a positive omen for a forthcoming battle so he had the ‘Chi Rho’ symbol painted on his soldiers’ shields. Constantine won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge against Maxentius to become supreme ruler of Rome, and Christianity was subsequently legalised in Rome though, interestingly, Constantine himself wasn’t baptised until on his death bed.

Country Landowners Association Farm Buildings Award

I found this sign while exploring some of my favourite paths in and around the estate at Arley Hall. Starting in the early 1970s the Country Landowners’ Association (now renamed the Country Land and Business Association, though still using the abbreviation CLA) ran a biannual Farm Buildings Award scheme ‘to recognise excellence in farm buildings, structures which give the farmer what he needs to run his farm business easily and efficiently, but which also blend with the surrounding farmstead and with the countryside itself’ (as reported in the Glasgow Herald, 20 February 1987).

In the 1990s, when the trend for converting old farm buildings to non-agricultural and residential use really took hold, the scheme’s name changed to the Countryside Buildings Award, reflecting the fact that there had been ‘more entries for the conversion of old farm buildings to new uses than for the erection of totally new farm buildings’.    

The scheme changed again in 2002 to the Country Land and Business Association Farm and Rural Buildings Award Scheme – a bit of a mouthful! – and the last mention I found of it was in 2008, when it had morphed into the Rural Buildings Award Scheme. So, what fascinates me about this one small sign, located at the Arley Moss Equestrian Centre, is how it gives a small indication of the evolving uses of, support for and attitudes towards traditional and modern farm buildings over the years.

Old AA sign at Lower Whitley

The Automobile Association (the AA) was formed in London in 1905 by a group of like-minded motoring enthusiasts, initially with the aim of championing ‘the cause of the motorist and particularly to help motorists avoid police speed traps’ – my emphasis, their anti-police intentions! 

By 1939, the AA’s membership had mushroomed to 725,000 and, as well as providing trusty patrolmen to fix that pesky broken-down vehicle and producing guide books advising which hotels to stay at during your long car journeys, the organisation had erected thousands of direction, village, roadside danger and warning signs. The village sign shown here, found at Lower Whitley in Cheshire, was probably erected more than 80 years ago and, like others found scattered throughout Britain, is a wonderful salute to the AA’s contribution to British motoring. I particularly like its emphasis on ‘Safety First’!

Milestone near Great Budworth

Amazingly, although almost every old man-made construction in and around the village of Great Budworth is heritage listed, this milestone is not. The original milestones were actual stones, laid by the Romans to mark every one thousandth double-step, their way of calculating distance. The Latin for thousand was mille, hence the word ‘milestone’. Though one thousand Roman double steps equated roughly to 1618 yards, the eventual British standard measurement for a mile was 1760 yards.

This particular milestone dates from 1896 and is made of cast iron. According to the Milestone Society, it is one of around 9000 waymarkers that still survive in the UK, though many thousands more have been lost to thieves, collisions with car, destruction by hedge-cutters, or removal during the Second World War in order to baffle the Germans if they invaded. The notion of reaching a significant point along the road has, of course, led to our more modern idea of a milestone as an important event or stage in life, progress or development.

Fingerposts in north Cheshire

Another common waymarker to be found in the UK is the fingerpost (also known as a guide post.). These post were usually made from cast iron or wood, their poles were painted in black and white, and the fingers showed village names and the distances to them painted in black on a white base.

Although the earliest still-existing fingerpost in the UK, near Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, dates from 1669, it wasn’t until the Highways Act of 1766 and the Turnpike Roads Act of 1773 that fingerposts on turnpike roads were made compulsory. Following the introduction of the standardised Traffic Signs Regulations in 1964, local councils were initially encouraged to remove traditional fingerposts like those shown here. Luckily, many did not, and the existing old-style waymarkers are now recognised for their historic value and, supposedly, maintained by the local councils. I think the Cheshire Councils need a little reminder of their responsibilities!

It’s a sign: England, part two

When out for one of my countryside rambles recently, the realisation that I was just a tad lost finally dawned on me when I saw this sign on a side road.

Low-flying aircraft

As far as I was aware, I shouldn’t have been anywhere near an airport. Turns out I wasn’t too far from a rather large, now abandoned airfield, former Royal Naval Air Station Stretton or HMS Blackcap. According to the Forgotten Airfields website it was built as a Royal Air Force night fighter station to protect Manchester and Liverpool from Luftwaffe raids during the Second World War but transferred to Admiralty control when the Germans stopped bombing British cities. The Navy had 41 Fleet Air Arm Squadrons based at Blackcap for varying periods, flying regular missions to and from aircraft carriers based in the Irish Sea.

Construction of the M56 motorway in 1971 went right through the site, half of which is now an industrial area but the south side is still very obvious in this aerial photo. In recent years, apparently, Shell used the airfield to test engine oil but it seems currently to be languishing unused. The Warrington Guardian of 11 June 2014 reported on plans to turn part of the land into an underground vehicle storage facility but that is being opposed by local councils, and car-racing enthusiasts have been eyeing the site for a race track, something neighbours have also opposed.

I’m assuming the sign has been there for a long time – I don’t think there have been any low-flying aircraft in the vicinity since the airfield closed in 1958!

The Pinfold

‘This enclosure dates from the Eighteenth Century and was used as a pound to secure stray livestock.’

You never know what you might stumble across when out walking! First an airfield and then, on that same long rural meander, something much much older. I discovered this enclosure and its explanatory sign on Budworth Road, not far from Arley Hall, in Cheshire. I’d never heard the word pinfold before so, when I finally got home, I hastened to google to discover more. Professor Wiki notes that the terms ‘pinfold’ and ‘pound’ are both Saxon in origin and both mean ‘animal enclosure’ – the only difference in usage is which part of England you’re in: it’s a pinfold in the north and east and a pound in the south and west.

Due to its age, this pinfold is a Grade II listed structure. It’s of ashlar contruction with large coursed stones, is rectangular in shape, with walls just over 100cms tall and has a single entrance. Dating from the days before enclosed fields were in common use, it would have been used to house stray pigs, sheep and cattle until their owners reclaimed them.

Signpost to Arley

‘This Road Forbidden Is To All / Unless They Wend Their Way To Call / At Mill, Or Green, Or Arley Hall.’

Having mentioned Arley Hall above, I thought I’d also include this rather wonderful signpost in this blog. The sign marks one of the side entrances to Arley Estate, an entrance only for use by those who reside in the old houses along the lane or those on foot, intending to walk the local public footpaths. If you’re not familiar with Arley, it’s a magnificent country estate that has been home to members of Lord Ashbrook’s family since the fifteenth century. 

So far, I’ve only been able to view Arley’s glorious vistas from the public paths as the house and gardens have been closed over the winter but I’m planning on exploring further when the 2015 visitor season opens in March. 

Footpath signs

As you’ve no doubt gathered, both from the name of my blog and from the numerous times I’ve mentioned my rambles and meanders, I’m a very enthusiastic and active walker. One of the things I like best about living in England is the public rights of way that make this country’s green and pleasant lands easily available to everyone. They give access to places you could never reach by road, allow you to appreciate the sounds of Nature not motorways and, as some are hundreds of years old, they provide valuable insight into the history of the people who have lived in the area.

There are various types of rights of way: public footpaths, for pedestrians only; public bridleways, for horse riders and pedestrians to share; and restricted byways, for horse riders, pedestrians and non-mechanised vehicles (the horse and cart of olden times) to share. Walkers can also often use concessionary paths, where use is allowed at the discretion of the landowner but is not a legal right. These are often also called permissive paths (which always makes me chuckle!).

The signage for these paths varies from place to place and from county to county so I have included several different examples here. 

As the sign below reminded me, you do have to be mindful of track boundaries when using footpaths (though this warning of potential shooting is a rather extreme example!) and you should always always follow the Countryside Code. 

It’s a sign: Cambodia

Following the riotous success (over 300 people have read it!) of my earlier blog about the interesting and intriguing signs I discovered in Peru (see It’s a sign: Peru), I feel it is time to share some of the treasures I have tripped over in Cambodia!

This first one I like as much for the splendid colour of the portable household shrines awaiting sale to local customers as for the sign itself, which is quite plain but contains a good message for us all. ‘Slow down … and smell the roses!’ we might say in the West. Here it’s ‘slow down … and buy a shrine.’

What can I say? Is this good roadside advice? If this were in New Zealand, I might think it was referring to our most famous bird, the kakapo named Sirocco, who attempted to shag the head of a photographer while being filmed by the BBC for an endangered species documentary back in 2009. Perhaps Cambodia has a similar randy bird!

Is it a tree? Is it lightning? No, it’s the sign for winding roads ahead. This one I just like for its lovely curves. Our winding road signs in New Zealand are just so boring, so lacking in design flair, so devoid of curvaceousness compared to this little beauty. And the road going up the mountain to the Bokor Hill Station, near Kep (see The ghosts of Bokor Hill) really was like this with a series of long sweeping curves to the top.

I ask you, could a pharmacy be more aptly named? When something has made you go ‘ouch’, this has to be the perfect place to come for a remedy.

I can’t think of many people who would want to sleep in a church at night, unless they thought they were being haunted or chased by the devil or were seeking asylum of some kind. Obviously, it's okay to sleep here during the day though.

Now, I’ve heard of organisations and businesses being fairly specific about the type of work they do, but this one takes the cake! And, in case you’re in any doubt at all that they will actually service more than one window, they have two signs stressing the point.

This is my absolute favourite of the signs I’ve seen here so far. Not the top part of the board – after all, you can get your hair coloured, your nails cut and a shave in countless places. It’s their bold claim about the clarity of their communication that tickled my fancy.

To finish, I say ‘thank you’ in Khmer. One of the most important words to learn in any language and here beautifully spelled out above a shop in Kampot. Ogun for stopping by my blog!