Summary

Milestone 66m SSE of Eastlea.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 3 September 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a milestone situated on a south-facing slope near the corner of Childsbridge Lane and Pilgrim’s Way in Kemsing.

There is an inscription on each side; the north face reads ‘the way to Dartford’, the west face reads ‘to Brom[le]y 12 miles’, and the east face reads ‘to Malling 10 miles’. The south face is now illegible but formerly read ‘the way to Sevenoaks’. The original date of the stone is not known. The milestone is located on the Pilgrim’s Way, a trackway at the foot of the North Downs escarpment traditionally associated with a pilgrim route to Canterbury.

The milestone is shown on Kent OS Maps (1:2500) of 1894, 1896, 1909 and 1938.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Milestones are both an important testament to the development of the transport network and are reminders of different perceptions of distance in a pre-motorised age. In the mid-eighteenth century milestones became prevalent after turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide markers on roads. They often display a notable amount of individuality before the late eighteenth century.

Although weathered, the milestone 66m SSE of Eastlea survives comparatively well. It is of historic interest in its own right and for its location on the Pilgrim’s Way, a trackway traditionally associated with a pilgrim route to Canterbury.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Kent HER TQ 55 NW 39. NMR TQ 55 NW 39. PastScape 409696,

Source: Historic England