Milestone, Near 322 Glassdrumman Rd, Annalong, Co Down, BT34 4NQ

This is a milestone located on the west side of the Newcastle to Kilkeel road, near Glasdrumman, County Down. It is one of 24 milestones originally positioned between Newry and Newcastle; 17 of these milestones survive, forming a notably unique group in the province. The milestone is constructed of dressed granite and is approximately 23cm square, finished with a pyramidal top. It bears the inscription '20' incised on the three faces visible from the road, indicating a distance of 20 Irish miles from Newry. The milestone was first recorded on the 1859 Ordnance Survey map, although it was not marked then; it was subsequently shown on the 1901 Ordnance Survey map. Likely dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s, or even earlier, the dating is uncertain due to the difficulty in confirming whether the mile intervals shown on Taylor and Skinner’s 1777 map of Irish roads correspond to actual markers. The milestone is of industrial archaeological interest.