Here we are again, having had a week off for Easter. It's Amy's Five on Friday day again. Click on the image at the bottom to see other people's offerings.
Back in the days before GPS systems it wasn't always easy to know where you were or how far you still had to travel on your journeys. There were lots of ingenious and attractive ways of letting travellers know. Here's five examples.
Theoretically with a bit of geometry and a map you should be able to work out where this is. But I'll be kind to you. It's on the A12 at Yoxall in Suffolk.
This is a particular favourite of mine. I love those pointing hands (they're called manicules, by the way) and the helpful lamp post on top in case you're travelling at night.
The users of these signs weren't allowed to travel at night. It's a canal marker, and narrowboats had to stop once darkness fell. This one's also a replica. You can tell because of the small plaque dated 1977. It was erected by the Trent and Mersey Canal Society at Derwent Lock to replace a missing original.
This one tells you where it is - except it's wrong. Castle Donington doesn't have a double N. It also frequently gets accused of being in Derbyshire, even though it isn't. This one's a bit out of the way nowadays, but the road it stands on used to be a turnpike.
This one assumes you know where you are. You can probably work out that you're in Derbyshire, but this is very similar to one I found last weekend in Ashbourne. London is 139 miles from that one too, though Manchester is 45 miles away. Does that help? Thought not. This one's in Wirksworth.
Now click on the link below to visit Amy and her Five on Friday supporters.
A great collection of nice and especially guideposts!
ReplyDeleteBy the way: I have only a bicycle and not a handy or smartphone and don't use any GPS - for me they are still useful.
Greetings from Germany
love the manicules, that is my new favourite word for the day, I will endeavour to teach it to someone else before the day is out!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely old signs. You have to be careful sometimes if they are a bit loose. I remember once an unhelpful vandal had turned the sign round and I went off in totally the wrong direction. Hey Ho! B x
ReplyDeleteI love all these signs and milestones and I've never seen one with the little hands on before. We used to live not far from Donington in South Lincolnshire and I aways remember a couple coming into our Museum and tourist Centre having booked into a B&B over the river and asking where the race track was. We had to tell them they were at the wrong Donington and had a few more miles to travel to get to their destination:)
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful signs! Your blog posts seem to be very interesting and the mile posts are so pretty there where you live. We see this kind of beautiful old items only in British films and TV series. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing and have a lovely weekend!
A fascinating post. I've never seen the manicules before, so will be on the look out for them now.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating post, I never realised the pointing hands were called manicles, you learn something new everyday. My grandad always called those type of signs 'finger posts'. We do have an old milestone just down the road from where I live, you hardly ever see them these days but I remember quite a few of them around when I was young (sorry, that makes me sound so ancient)! xx
ReplyDeleteYou are never too old to learn and I learnt something new today, Manicules! Great post.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing this collection of signposts!
ReplyDeleteCaz xx
Super! That first one looks so delicate. :-)
ReplyDeleteA very interesting post just think these sign posts are all we had to rely on it's a wonder we ever got anywhere, I can still remember my father following when I was a child and the number of times we got lost, I think some of the ,milestones are very attractive though. I wanted a manicule in my garden when I first started planning it to point out all the different area's anyone would think it was huge haha have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful signs and sign posts. The pointing hands are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteA great collection of signposts, the first two are very decorative aren't they and quite unusual too I would imagine. The last two aren't something that you see much these days either are they sadly. Thank you for taking part in Five On Friday, I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post We've always called the first picture fingerprints.
ReplyDeleteI love the older signs it reminds me that the land and country has not changed all that much - places are still where they used to be but the signs back then were much more appealing to the eye.
ReplyDeleteI too like the ones with the pointing hands.
#FiveOnFriday
Angela - Garden Tea Cakes and Me
What a lovely Five. I didn't know about manicules and don't think I've ever seen one so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled now, but what I really like is a milestone, I think they are fascinating. Thank you. x
ReplyDeleteThese are some wonderful signs that may or may not be around much longer. I do hope they end up being historical places.
ReplyDelete