Milestone Outside No 279

The milestone outside No 279 on Congleton Road in Biddulph is a gritstone structure dating from around 1770. It has a triangular shape with ramped corners on either side, which is thought to be a unique feature for milestones in the Biddulph area. Each roadside face of the milestone is inscribed with the words "To" and "Miles." Historical Ordnance Survey maps indicate that the stone originally displayed distances of 3 miles to Congleton and 9 1/2 miles to Newcastle-under-Lyme, but this wording was defaced in 1940 as a precaution against invasion.

The milestone was erected by the New Biddulph Turnpike Trust and may have originally been dated 1770. It is significant as an example of a late 18th-century milestone, illustrating the expansion of the road network before the 1773 general Turnpike Act, which mandated the recording of mileage. The milestones along this route represent the standardization of roads and the introduction of turnpikes to meet the transport needs of the increasingly industrial landscape of 18th-century Staffordshire. The act of defacing the stone in 1940 adds historical importance, and it holds group value with other milestones along this turnpike road.