Category Archives: Signs and Markers

Signs and Markers

Thomas Chaloner 1856 Perambulation

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A Perambulation is the periodic marking of estate boundaries by the Lord of the Manor, also known as “Beating the bounds”, these events are known to have occurred around Guisborough in 1716, 1738, 1772, 1798 and 1816. It was a major local event with over 200 people on foot and horses taking part in 1716.

Robert Chaloner (RC) passed away in 1842, so the Perambulation of 27th June 1856 was the first by the new Lord of the Manor, Thomas Chalenor (TC) who seems to have taken the occasion to add his initials and the date to many local stones.

This carving is just a short distance north of Percy Rigg

Percy Rigg Stones
RC TC 1856

It appears to be virtually identical to the lost boundary stone at Percy Rigg which was apparently destroyed in the 2nd World War.

Lost Percy Rigg Stone

The other side of the stone is much harder to decipher but the listed building record suggest H.R. and G.A. below the more obvious T

Percy Rigg Stones

Picton Liberty Stone (2nd attempt)

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Back in early 2017 I visited the Picton Liberty Stone and it wasn’t there !

A news report on the 6th April 2005 said it had been stolen, then on the 8th April 2005 Police said “It had been removed by a man trying to protect it from theft. It will be returned to its position”

Picton Liberty Stone

Parish meetings in 2010 talk about getting it listed by English Heritage and having a replica made. In late 2020 someone commented that the stone was back ! Whether this is the original or a replica is unclear.

Picton Liberty Stone

Stockton – Billingham Boundary Marker. Mill Lane Wolviston

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Many thanks to Peter Edwards for submitting this photo and location of historic boundary marker visible on Mill Lane between Wolviston and Billingham.

It marks the boundary between Stockton Rural District (1894-1974) and Billingham Urban District (1923 – 1968) The first OS mapping to include this boundary is dated 1939.

1939 6” map showing the boundary. The marker is in the western hedge of Mill Lane
Overlayed onto modern aerial mapping.

Goodbye United Ghostsign

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When I saw scaffolding going up on this building I feared the sign, which apparently dated from the opening of the bus station in 1938, might be about to be lost.

United Ghostsign
Travel by Road to York, Doncaster or London by United. Luxury coach services by day or night.

As of today it seems to have been painted over. If I was the developer I would have painted it back on brand new as a feature !

United Ghostsign, Redcar (gone)

Polish Forces, Dunsdale

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This piece of grafitti is something I saw mentioned on Facebook getting on for 7 years ago, and I never managed to find it. Then by total chance in lockdown I found it !

Polish Forces, Dunsdale

It;s getting extremely hard to read as the tree has aged, but says “Polish Forces 194?”

Facebook comments from a resident many years ago said :- there used to be an extensive camp at Dunsdale which was still visible when I was a kid. The Polish army was stationed there and they carved that beech tree.

The Redcar – Saltburn Border, Coast Road

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Saltburn Urban District Council has existed since 1894, while Redcar only became a Borough in 1922, so this marker post must have been placed after that date. Neither have existed since the formation of the ‘County Borough of Teesside’ in 1968.

Redcar Saltburn Boundary

It may have been required to mark the boundary when the Coast Road was first opened in 1923, although this could be a later marker.

Coast Road opening.

Redcar Working Mens Unionist Club, 1926

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Redcar Working Mens Unionist Club was opened by the Marquess of Zetland on the 11th August 1926. The “KT” indicates he was a member of “The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle”

Dene Grove 1926

Also present that day were local MP at the time Sir Park Goff and Mr W. C. Fawcett

Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland (16 August 1844 – 11 March 1929)
Sir Park Goff, 1st Bt, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x74944
Sir Park Goff, 1st Bt
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 30 June 1920
NPG x74944
© National Portrait Gallery, London

William Pearson Ghostsign, Great Ayton

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This sign is visible on the side of Coopers Chemists in Great Ayton. Its still fairly clear and I read it as :-

Wm Pearson, Builders & Depot for Builders Materials

Great Ayton, William Pearson Builders

In the 1901 census there is a William Pearson, 52 Builder Contractor living at Well Cottage. He built the terrace known as Pearson Ville and also the house that became the Worthy Pearsons shop owned by his descendants.

Listen with EKCO Radio Ghostsign, Middlesbrough

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EKCO (Eric Kirkham Cole Limited) produced TVs and Radios from 1924 until 1960 although the brand name lived on into the 1970s. This shop on Parliament Road was once an electrical shop.

Ecko Ghostsign, Parliament Road Middlesbrough
2019

The advert was revealed by the removal of a billboard around 2016 when it first appears on Google Streetview, it has visibly deteriorated since that point.

2016 Google Streetview

A complete copy of the same advert existed in Southamption, but this has since been hidden by a new building.