Harecastle Tunnel Milepost - Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK. - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The plaque is located above a milepost at the entrance to the south portal of the Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The milepost is Grade II listed, and is described by Historic England as follows;
" Canal milepost. Originally probably 1824-7 but recently re-cast. Cast-iron. Cylindrical column carrying 2 panels inscribed thus: "Shardlow 61 miles" and Preston Brook 31 Miles"." (visit link)

The canal used the established systems of mileposts to identify distances from the beginning and end of the route from Preston Brook to Shardlow. All the posts have Shardlow on the left.

These mile posts are in a uniform company design: a circular post with moulded head and embossed convex faces painted black and white.
The original posts have a plate on the shaft stating “R&D Stone 1819”, which is thought to refer to the Stone foundry of Rangeley and Dixon.
The replica ones have the mark T & MCS 1977, which were installed by the Trent and Mersey Canal Society two hundred years after the canal opened.

This is a replacement milepost was sponsored by Christopher Skelhorne (Chairman of the Stoke-on-Trent branch of the IWA) and his family, also by David and Alison Clarke and family . It was unveiled by Brian Haskins (Northwich Area Engineer, BWB) on Sunday 30th October 1983.
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The the lettering on the convex faces of this replacement milepost are painted all white because this is not the original location of the milepost.
A plaque on the wall above the milepost explains the reason why and reads as follows;

' TRENT AND MERSEY CANAL SOCIETY
THIS REPLACEMENT MILEPOST
WAS PLACED HERE AS PART OF THE
SOCIETY'S MILEPOST RESTORATION SCHEME

THE ORIGINAL MILEPOST WAS SITED
ON THE HORSE PATH ABOVE THE TUNNEL.
A LOCATION NO LONGER AVAILABLE
OCTOBER 1983
PLAQUE BY JONES BOGNOR REGIS'

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Type of Historic Marker: Metal Plaque Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Trent and Mersey Canal Society Age/Event Date: 10/30/1983 Give your Rating: Related Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   01/06/2019 dtrebilc visited it