Milestone 16 Mile, Near 349 Crom Road, Newtownbutler, BT92 8GH

This is the 16-mile milestone from Enniskillen, one of a surviving collection of 12 (from an original set of 17) milestones that marked every Irish mile along the former mail coach road running from Enniskillen through Cavan to Dublin. The stones were erected between approximately 1810 and 1835, and this example stands in its original location on what is now known as the Crom Road.

The section of road on which the milestone stands was largely built between 1808 and 1822, purpose-built to provide a broad, flat route suitable for mail coaches. The mail coach service continued to use this road, with some re-routing, until 1859, when the coming of the railways brought it to an end. The mail coach system represented perhaps the single most important communications network established across Britain and Ireland before the railway age.

The milestone is carved from local limestone and is square in plan, standing just over one metre tall. It tapers gently upward to form an elongated prism, though the degree of taper varies slightly across the series. The front and rear faces are flush, while the side elevations are more distinctively profiled: they step outward at low level to define a base, then overhang at the top with a roll that tapers upward to a crown profile, forming an ornate terminal. This profiled top appears to be unique to this series. The slightly uneven, individual character of the stones across the group suggests the work of local craftsmen, giving the series a vernacular quality.

This particular stone has sustained some damage and weathering, and only the word "Enniskillen" and the figure 16 remain clearly legible. When intact, the stone would also have displayed the distances of 64.5 miles to Dublin and 9.5 miles to Cavan.

The milestone's significance lies in its original position, its retained form and material, and its surviving lettering. It forms part of one of the most complete series of milestones of its kind in Northern Ireland, and its group value is further enhanced by the presence along the same stretch of road of a contemporary coaching inn. Together, the series represents one of the few surviving physical remnants of the late 18th and early 19th century mail coach system in County Fermanagh, and contributes to our understanding of the substantial improvements made to the Irish road network during that period.

The other surviving milestones in the series are located at the 1-mile point near Enniskillen, and at the 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 17-mile points along the former coach road, the latter near Wattlebridge Road, Newtownbutler.