Milestone Circa 500M North Of Cuskayne Farm

This granite milestone dates from around 1830 and stands on the verge of the B3275, approximately 500 metres north of Cuskayne Farm in Probus. It is a triangular stone with a flat top and chamfered edges, standing 0.75 metres high and 0.55 metres wide. Two cast iron plates are set flush with the dressed stone on either road-facing side. The left plate is inscribed “TRURO 6 FALMOUTH 16 ½”, and the right “BODMIN 18 ¼ LONDON 244”. The typefaces used on the two plates are different. The stone and plates are currently painted white with black lettering, and a benchmark is carved into the top of the stone.

The milestone is part of a series of twelve, eleven of which remain, marking the route from Truro towards Fraddon. It was erected during a period of road improvements in Cornwall, starting in 1754 with the first Cornish turnpike and continuing with new roads commissioned in 1828 to provide a route from Falmouth to London. A new route was constructed in 1835 to avoid a steep hill, resulting in discrepancies in the displayed distances, which were later corrected between 1880 and 1907.

The milestone is designated at Grade II for its intactness and legibility, its historic interest in illustrating the development of the Cornish road network in the 19th century, and its group value with the other milestones along the route.