Milestone Circa 30M South Of Garage At Denas Water

This is a granite milestone dating from around 1830, situated approximately 30 metres south of a garage at Denas Water, on the verge of a lay-by on the south side of the B3275 road. The stone is triangular, with a flat top and chamfered edges, standing 0.85 metres high and 0.55 metres wide. Two cast iron plates are set flush into the dressed stone on the road-facing sides. The left plate reads ‘TRURO 4 FALMOUTH 14 ½’, while the right plate indicates ‘BODMIN 20 ¼ LONDON 246’; the typefaces used on the two plates differ. The stone and plates are painted white with black lettering, and a benchmark is carved into the left face beneath the plate.

The milestone's historical context relates to the development of Cornwall’s transport network. The first Cornish turnpike was established in 1754, followed by the creation of several Turnpike Trusts over the next decade. A new road was commissioned in 1828 to provide a more modern route from Falmouth to London. This milestone is one of a series of twelve – eleven of which remain – starting in Truro and extending north-east towards Fraddon.

A revised route, avoiding a steep hill, was constructed in 1835, leading to discrepancies in the distances shown on the milestone and others in the series. Subsequent Ordnance Survey maps (1880 and 1907) reveal that the mileage plates were likely replaced between these dates, potentially in 1889 when the County Council took over road maintenance. In 1995, the B3275 was altered, and the milestone was moved 80 metres to the east.

The milestone’s Grade II listing acknowledges its historic interest in illustrating the development of transport in Cornwall, its intact condition as a good example of an early 19th-century milestone, and its strong group value alongside the other ten surviving milestones along the route.