Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Mile post
Newtownards, Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade B2
- Grade
- B2
- Type
- Milestone
- Date of listing
- 13 March 2002
- Date of construction
- 1800 - 1819
- Address
- Mile post, [next to 50 Frances Street], Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 3DY
- Townland
- Newtownards
- Council
- Ards and North Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.59350, -5.69227
- Date of survey
- 11 June 1998
- HB reference
- HB24/09/033
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1794 "Sheet 55. (Cary's England, Wales, and Scotland)." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
Cast iron milepost of c.1817 next to No.50 Frances Street with domed top and spelling out (in moulded characters) the distances to Belfast (8 miles) and Donaghadee (6 miles). The post is generally in good condition though it would need repainting, possibly in what may have been the original painting scheme of black characters on a white background.
Historical information
This milepost probably dates from c.1817 when the new coach road from Belfast was opened.
References- Secondary sources
1 W.A. McCutcheon 'The industrial archaeology of Northern Ireland' (HMSO 1980), pp.12, plate 4 etc.
2 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.105-7.
3 Fred Hammond “Communications in Co. Down” in 'Down- History and Society' ed. Lindsay Proudfoot (Dublin 1997), pp.599-628.
4 J.T. Fulton 'The roads of Co. Down 1600-1900' (QUB Phd. thesis 1972).
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
A. Style
Criteria for listing: historic interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest
Evaluation
Cast iron milepost of c.1817 still in good condition, but in need of a more suitable painting scheme.
Nearby in the register
- 52 Frances StreetHouse - Terraceunder 1 mi
- 54 Frances StreetHouse - Terraceunder 1 mi
- 50 Frances StreetHouse - Terraceunder 1 mi
- First Presbyterian ChurchChurchunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.