A RUSTY relic from Saddleworth’s past has received a much-needed facelift to the delight of a community campaigner.
And the newly painted Victorian milestone on the Scouthead/Austerlands border is already receiving admiring glances from passers-by.
It is believed to be the first time in around a decade any of the Parish’s 24 iconic milestones have been cleaned.
Now other heritage conscious locals hope the same restoration work can be carried out on the remaining roadside landmarks.
Paul Sykes has championed the clean-up of his local milestone on the A62 Huddersfield Road, making regular overtures to Saddleworth Parish Council and Oldham Borough Council.
He has also tried to engage Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.
His efforts have been supported by Saddleworth Ward and Parish councillors, Luke Lancaster and Max Woodvine.
Now Paul’s doggedness, with help from local historian, David Needham, has been rewarded with the two-day restoration of the previously anonymous metal lump.
“We are so happy it has been done,” said Paul. “Residents have already commented how well it looks.
“All we need to do now is to wash it down when the newness starts to wear off. Hopefully, this can be the start of restoring other milestone to their former state.”
Budgetary restrictions plus health and safety regulations have been regularly cited by the local authority for lack of action on cleaning up Saddleworth’s heritage.
However, it is understood OMBC is looking at the possibility of volunteers working on milestones away from the highway where traffic management is not required.
*Saddleworth’s collection of cast iron fronted milestones were originally included in a contract to erect more than 600 across the former West Riding of Yorkshire.
The County Council awarded the work to Gill and Frank Stead from Mirfield and paid them £1,140 work to complete the work in 12 months.
All Saddleworth milestones, with one exception, were cast at the foundry of Brayshaw and Booth in Liversedge.
The exception is on the Road End branch of the Oldham and Standedge Road at Greenfield, which bears no manufacturers mark and is of a different design to the others.
In 2007, Oldham Council carried out a Milestone Conservation and Restoration Project. In a document produced at the time a total of 24 cast iron milestones were listed, six ‘milestones’ eight ‘boundary stones’ and six ‘mere stones’.
Seem like a good idea, I see a lot of these old, “Milestone,” walking round the Saddleworth area in particular and most of them are almost unreadable.
There are a lot of these old way markers noticeable to anyone walking, (rather than driving,) round North Oldham, (the Saddleworth area,) many of them are stone and those possibly predate the iron ones,) almost all all of them are in desperate need of some attention so this is a good idea if enough people care enough to do something about it ?
Well spotted.
Typically the less said about Abrahams and Burnham the better probably; but it’s good that Cllrs Woodvine and Lancaster are interested and are lending their support.