Milestone Approx 186M South Of Telephone Exchange

This milestone dates from 1754 and was moved to its present location in 1828. It is constructed of stone, painted white, and has a rectangular plan, standing approximately 0.65 metres high with a cambered head. It is inscribed with the letters “FROM / TRURO / 7 / MILES” in black paint, although the ‘s’ in 'miles' falls away from the line of the text. A benchmark and a pin are positioned on the top of the milestone.

From the mid-18th century, turnpike trusts were encouraged to erect markers, such as milestones, on the roads they managed. The Truro Turnpike Trust was established by Act of Parliament in 1754, the first Turnpike Trust in Cornwall, and this milestone originally marked the route from Truro to Probus and Grampound. In 1828, plans were made for a new road with a less steep route out of Truro, which would link with the Bodmin Trust's road and thence to London. This new road featured distinctive triangular milestones with cast-iron plates, replacing the earlier design. When the route of the road was altered in 1828 to ease the gradient out of Grampound, the four existing milestones were moved from the original line to equivalent positions on the new road, and all four stones survive in their 1828 locations. The milestone is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880.

The milestone is designated at Grade II for its intactness, historic interest, and for demonstrating a significant wave of 18th-century road improvements overseen by Turnpike Trusts. It also holds group value, as it is one of four similar stones marking the re-routed Truro to Grampound road.