MEM23804 - 21st Century milestone north of Kitswall Farm (Monument)

The Somerset Heritage Service undertook a project to restore the turnpike milestones on the A396. The milestone close to the entrance to Kitswall Farm with the inscription ‘4 miles to Minehead’ is a new stone with a plaque recast by Cerdic Foundry in 2006. The stone was hit by a vehicle in 2015 and has now been reerected at the opposite side of the road at SS 9697 4280, a safer position hopefully preventing it from being knocked over again by passing traffic. [1] The construction of the 14 miles or so of the A396 road from Timberscombe southwards to beyond the County boundary with Devon was authorized under the Turnpike Act of 1822 and completed by 1827. A total of twelve Ham stone milestones were erected on the western side of the road to a standard design with cast iron plates inscribed with incised lettering reading 6 miles to Minehead to 18 Miles to Minehead. A survey of roadside heritage on this section of the A396 was carried out in 1985 or 1986 and showed that ten milestones remained largely complete but with some damage to stonework and wear and tear. A new survey at the end of 2005 showed that four milestones had subsequently been removed or seriously damaged in the intervening years. [2] A project in 2006- 2007 was set up by Somerset Historic Environment Service to repair the surviving milestones and replace the missing milestones. [3]