Milestone Circa 30M South Of No. 2 Eden Cottages

This is a triangular milestone dating from circa 1830, situated approximately 30 metres south of No. 2 Eden Cottages on the B3275 in Ladock. The milestone stands 0.85 metres high and is 0.55 metres wide, with chamfered edges and a flat top. Two cast iron plates are flush-set into the dressed stone on either road-facing side. The left plate is inscribed “TRURO 8 / FALMOUTH 18½”, and the right plate reads “BODMIN 16¼ / LONDON 242”, with two distinct typefaces used for the inscriptions. The stone and plates are painted white with black lettering, and a benchmark is carved into the top face.

The milestone is part of a series of twelve erected in 1830 by Benjamin Bowden, with cast-iron plates produced by Perran Foundry, following the establishment of a Cornish turnpike in 1754 and subsequent road improvements. A new route built in 1835 altered some of the recorded distances, leading to discrepancies noted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880. Corrected mileage plates were likely fitted between 1880 and 1907, coinciding with the County Council taking over road maintenance.

The milestone is designated at Grade II for its intact condition, its historic significance as a testament to 18th-century road improvements, and for its group value alongside the other ten surviving milestones that run between Truro and Fraddon.