Historic milepost restored to its rightful place in Aylesbury Vale village

A historic milepost from an Aylesbury Vale village has been restored and reinstalled in its original location, after being discovered in a garden.

In July 2021, Buckinghamshire Council’s Archaeology Service was contacted by Peter Gulland, local historian and Bucks representative of the Milestone Society, to advise that a Buckinghamshire milepost had been discovered in an Oxfordshire garden.

The milepost was originally located on the Brill road at Hillesden, marking 13 miles to Brill and three miles to Buckingham, and is thought to date from the late 19th or early 20th century.

While not as old as some of the county’s other mileposts, this one is particularly significant as it was located on a non-turnpike road, which is rare in Bucks.

It is last recorded as having been in place in the late 1980s, after which it appears to have been taken from its location - somehow ending up in a private back garden.

The current homeowner was keen to see it back in its rightful place, so the milepost, which was in a very sorry state, was collected and taken to Moss Blacksmiths, in Thame, to be stripped back, repainted and re-signed.

Peter Strachan, cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said: “It’s fantastic that this piece of Buckinghamshire’s heritage has now been restored, and we wish to say a big thank you to Peter Gulland for finding the milepost and paying for its conservation and repainting.

“The newly restored and relocated milestone will be reviewed for inclusion in our Local Heritage List, along with all other mileposts in the county.”