Victorian road signs in Cartmel restored by local lengthsman

source - North-West Evening Mail

 
Victorian road signs in Cartmel restored by local lengthsman

When I blogged back in July about the restoration of some traditional finger post road signs in the village of Glanton, Northumberland, I ended that post with an expression of gladness that such work was still being carried out, that it was inspiring other communities to do the same and that I hoped another eight years would not elapse before a similar news item came up again for me to mention on here (having previously posted about an antique 1904 road sign in Overstrand, Norfolk, in 2012).  Well I'm happy to say that a mere four months separate the Glanton article from this next, comparable story from the charming Cumbrian village of Cartmel, which lies just north of Morecambe Bay between the towns of Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal.

source - Wikimedia Commons

In this instance the signs are of the "bladed" village name variety as opposed to the directional finger post designs featured in the previous post.  Dating back even further to the Victorian era, some are even as old as 1837.  In other respects though they are largely identical to the later types as seen in Glanton, being of cast iron construction and painted in contrasting black and white to stand out clearly on the rural highway for the weary traveller to see - a role they performed admirably for over a century and which they continue to do today despite the advent of the newer Warboys designs in the 1960s.

As with the Glanton fingerposts the Cartmel signs - four of them dotted around and on the outskirts of the village - have been afforded a new lease of life, ensuring their continued survival well into the future, thanks again to the efforts of the parish council and in this case the services of local lengthsman Archie Workman (surely one of the best examples of nominative determinism I've seen in a long while) and a fellow unnamed road sign enthusiast with a passion for restoring these few remaining links to past travel.  (As an aside this article has been a welcome source of education for your author as it is the first time I've come across the term "lengthsman", which I've discovered is a traditional old English term dating back to beyond the 18th century used to describe anyone employed by parish councils or local landowners to keep a "length" of road clear and passable and which I'm delighted to learn is a job still being carried out today by the likes of Mr Workman.)

source - Twitter / @OldSignPainter

This sterling work is just one part of Mr Workman's aim to restore all such remaining signposts in the Furness area - 26 in all (including another seven around Cartmel), featuring the age-old Lancastrian blade and nipple-top design and originally produced by local steelworkers Thomas Graham & Sons of Preston (who I'm pleased to see are still operating).  It is again wonderful to see these vintage road signs appreciated by locals and visitors alike; that there are still people out there with the interest and more importantly the skills to ensure that they can continue to be both enjoyed and made use of in their original function.  I hope and believe that other local parish councils will be equally as keen as Allithwaite and Cartmel to see their Victorian-era village signs restored to their former glory by Mr Workman and his colleagues and I wish them every success in their time-honoured work.

Northumberland village heritage group seeks to restore old signposts

Northumberland village heritage group seeks to restore old signposts

A further example now of civic pride and an appreciation of history helping to rescue and preserve local landmarks in this lovely story from the Northumberland village of Glanton.  In this case the structures in question are the traditional finger post signs that were among the standard road sign designs in the United Kingdom during the first half of the twentieth century, prior to the comprehensive reform of Britain's traffic signage as part of the Worboys Committee of 1963 that resulted in the styles we know today. 

source - Wikimedia Commons

Fortunately, and in spite of the wide-ranging changes instigated by Worboys, many original finger posts survive - mainly in rural locations where their welcome presence adds to the area's bucolic charm - but some of them have seen better days and are at risk of disappearing altogether as they continue to decay and get swallowed up by nature.  Not so in north Northumberland though, I am pleased to note, thanks to the efforts of the Glanton Heritage Group. 

In the ten years since it was formed this small local group have adopted and restored their village's red telephone box - something also close to this blogger's heart - as well as publishing a local history book.  Lately their attention has turned to the renovation of the area's finger posts and, after a few early hiccoughs and false starts, they have successfully restored two examples to their former glory and are now looking to replace two more.

source - Northumberland Gazette

Their efforts are to be applauded as the results look absolutely fantastic and seem certain to ensure these beautiful signposts' continued existence for years to come.  As with many a heritage group I find myself in accord with their commendable views on the subject and the fact that they have involved local ironmongers, plus through their actions encouraged other nearby communities to look into restoring their own finger posts, is just the icing on the cake.

I am reminded of a similar article I covered way back in 2012, when Norfolk County Council successfully applied for the Grade II listing of a rare 1904-vintage road sign in the village of Overstrand.  At the time I expressed the hope that more prewar signposts would be preserved in a similar manner (hopefully in the eight years since there have been other incidences that have gone unreported) and despite the passage of time it is wonderful to see that there are still groups out there willing and able to save these delightful reminders of an earlier age for both visitors and future generations of the community alike.

A history of accident prevention posters revealed

A history of accident prevention posters revealed

We tend to bemoan the modern Health & Safety culture, deeming it to be a product of today's risk-averse society where common sense and personal responsibility are going the same way as common courtesy and good manners.  We look at the past as a time when danger was a far greater fact of life and litigation was something reserved for serious crimes.

source

To an extent this outlook is true, but safety at work and play was very much considered even as long ago as the 1930s as this latest display from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents' archives goes to prove.

In pictures: RoSPA posters go on display

source

Far more stylish than today's stark warnings, these old posters still manage to get their point across with ease and directness, while at the same time making the viewer think more clearly and (in some cases) to see how such accidents can occur and the results of them.  It is remarkable to note the difference between the modern "instructive" format and the older "advisory" approach.  Like so many things in those days - film, television programmes, newspapers - people were obviously expected to have a brain and to reason out and make inferences from these signs rather than be spoon-fed ever more comprehensive instructions as they are today.  Whether such a style of warning sign would work now I wouldn't like to say, but I know which I prefer!

source

These images form just a minuscule part of 700 posters dating from between the 1930s and 1970s that were found by RoSPA while they were clearing out one of their warehouses (and obeying Health & Safety regulations, one imagines!).  Now they can be saved for future generations, as indeed they have been with photographic copies being displayed in Birmingham and prints available online from The RoSPA Collection.

These warning posters provide a fascinating insight into a past that was also concerned with safety, but which went about it in a far more wide-ranging, all-encapsulating manner.  I could see my old workplace being spruced up quite nicely with a few of these numbers.  They're great fun to look at, but the message is still clear.  Don't forget to be careful out there!

source

Vintage Overstrand road sign becomes Norfolk’s latest Grade II listed building

British road signs c.1904

Vintage Overstrand road sign becomes Norfolk’s latest Grade II listed building

A quaint little story from Overstrand, North Norfolk now which reminds me of the fun that can be had keeping an eye out for old road signs and street furniture.

This particular sign looks to have fully deserved its preservation status as its 1904 date must make it one of the oldest in the country and it joins a further forty-nine such road signs around Britain that have obtained listed status.

Road signs that were designed prior to the 1957 Anderson Committee on traffic signage (which gave us the designs we see today) are getting rarer by the day, although some still remain dotted throughout the UK and hopefully like the one in this article will be preserved in future.  Many local authorities often already take care of any such signs in their area, as can be seen in the traditional "finger post" signs that still exist in rural areas.  I don't know about you, but I love seeing these old signposts when I'm in the countryside and the older-style signs from the '20s through to the '50s look positively delightful (although perhaps not easy to read at speed, hence the 1957 redesign).  Some of them look unfamiliar to us today - how many people would understand the "Flame of Knowledge" symbol used in the "School" sign? - but many of them remain largely recognisable, a testament to the original designs that were drawn up between 1904 and 1933.

source - Roads.org.uk

Until the Second World War motoring organisations like the AA and the RAC were also allowed to erect signs of their own design to complement the official ones.  They were mainly simple worded warnings with a triangular badge sign above, or circular when giving distances and place names.

It is wonderful to see a small yet important aspect of British motoring history recognised in this manner and I hope it leads to more rare signposts being saved by local councils and interested groups before they disappear altogether.  North Norfolk District Council are to be applauded for taking such a stance on its vintage street furniture and I think their suggestion of looking out for further examples of important historic road signs is an excellent one. I shall continue to keep my eye out for such rarities when travelling through East Anglia, and elsewhere.