Milestone Opposite Middle Lordswaste (Ngr Sx1725075097)

The milestone opposite Middle Lordswaste, dating from around 1769, is made of carved granite and has a rectangular shape with two dressed faces and a rounded top. It stands approximately 73 centimeters high and features large, deeply incised lettering indicating the distance to Bodmin, reading: 'B/9'.

Historically, the ancient route into Cornwall did not pass over Bodmin Moor but instead looped north from Launceston to Camelford and then towards Truro. The Bodmin Turnpike Trust was established by an Act of Parliament in 1769 to create a carriage road across Bodmin Moor. This milestone is one of a series placed along this route, which later became the A30, the main road into Cornwall. The Trust used waymarkers on its routes from the beginning, making this one of the earliest milestones they erected. It is the only remaining milestone from a group of 15 originally placed on the A30 route east of Bodmin, although others still exist to the west. The milestone remains close to its original position, having been relocated slightly south of the carriageway during recent road widening work.

This milestone is listed for several key reasons: it is one of the first milestones erected by the Bodmin Turnpike Trust in 1769, it is intact and near its original location, it compares favorably with other nearby listed milestones, and it serves as a good example of an 18th-century milestone, reflecting the standardization of roads and the introduction of turnpikes to meet the transport needs of Cornwall's growing industrial landscape.