Milestone Opposite April Cottage

This milestone, located opposite April Cottage, was erected in 1830 as part of the Truro Turnpike Trust’s new road designed by William McAdam. It is a triangular granite stone, approximately 1 meter high with a flat top. The front faces bear inscribed iron plates with relief lettering, cast by the Perran Foundry Company. The left-hand plate displays distances to Truro (12 miles), Falmouth (22 ½ miles), in serif capitals. The right-hand plate shows distances to Bodmin (12 ¼ miles) and London (238 miles) in sans serif capitals. These plates are affixed to the stone using mortar. The milestone is painted white with black lettering. The milestone’s construction was a result of the Renewal Act of 1828, which authorized the new road route through Probus, Ladock, and St Enoder parishes, incorporating an improved drainage method. The Truro Turnpike Order Book records commissioning the milestones from Benjamin Bowden, who was paid 13s per stone (later increased to 15s). The Perran Foundry was compensated £11 2s 0d for the iron plates. The milestone is notable for including the distance to London, a consequence of a resolution within the order book. Ordnance Survey mapping indicates that the displayed distances to Bodmin were inaccurate and were not corrected until after the Truro Turnpike Trust was dissolved in 1874. The milestone remained on the main A39 route until the 1990s when a new A39 bypass was constructed. It is designated at Grade II for its historic interest as a representative example of an 1830s milestone on a historic turnpike road, and for its intactness in its original location.