Milestone Approx 12M West Of Dales Yard

The milestone, dating from circa 1890, stands approximately 0.8 metres high and is located 12 metres west of Dales Yard. It is constructed of whitewashed stone with cast-iron plates affixed to it. The base is square, and the upper section is triangular. The cast-iron plates bear the inscriptions "REDRUTH / 7 : MILES / TRURO / 8 ½ MILES" on one side, and "ST AGNES / ¼ MILE" on the other, with the lettering picked out in black paint.

The milestone relates to the history of road improvement in Cornwall. From the mid-18th century onwards, turnpike trusts encouraged the provision of milestones and mileposts on roads they operated. A former Truro turnpike road ended just north of St Agnes. The milestone was erected in 1890 by the St Agnes Highway Board, following a recommendation by the Road Committee of Cornwall County Council, after the road through the village was made a main route and adopted by the county. It was marked on the 1907 Ordnance Survey map on the western side of the road. Anecdotal evidence suggests it was removed during World War II and reinstated on the opposite side of the road after 1945. It was certainly moved to its present location before 1977 and recorded on the Ordnance Survey map published that year; during this relocation the iron plates were switched, but their directional accuracy was maintained.

The milestone is designated at Grade II for its intactness, rarity, and historic interest. It is an intact example of an unusually elaborate milestone from 1890, one of a small number erected by the St Agnes Highway Board on a road adopted by Cornwall County Council; only three of these stones are known to survive. It serves as a testament to continued road improvement throughout the 19th century following the earlier 18th-century development of turnpike roads.