Early 20th century finger post at Grange Lane and Castledon Road, Downham (EHER 40265)

Finger post at the junction of Grange Lane and Castleton Road probably dating from the early 20th century. Its unusual design and the fact it gives direction to the Grange suggests it may have been erected by a past owner of The Grange rather than the municipal authority. The finger post is intact and constructed of cast iron. The column has a spiral finish with a ringed ball below the fingers. Unusually distances are not show on the fingers. The lowest finger has a full collar and the middle and upper fingers each have half collars. Both the column and fingers are painted black and white. The finger post was assessed for listing in 2007 but failed to meet the required criteria.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: 2002. Survey. Cast iron signpost of probably the late 19th century. 'Corded' effect to post column, three arms marked: TO WICKFORD; TO BILLERICAY; and TO THE GRANGE. May have originally had ornamental top, but none present. A rare and early example, possibly unique in Essex. <1> - <2> The lower part of the column (pillar) was plain (un-corded) to a height of approximately 1 metre in the 1970s. <3> June 2007. Listing file. Traditional fingerposts have been part of the English countryside for centuries and the earliest known example is Joseph Izod's post of 1699 in Chipping Camden, Gloucestershire. It is not certain exactly when this fingerpost was erected. It is not indicated on the first edition of the OS map of 1880, but a guidepost is shown on the 2nd edition of 1897, although in a slightly different location. It is only on the 1st revision of the 2nd edition map of 1938 that a guidepost is shown at the present location on a grass island at the junction of Castledon Road and Grange Lane, which suggests that this fingerpost dates from the early 20th century, rather than the late 19th century. This is also suggested by the fact that this fingerpost gives the direction to The Grange, which first appears by that name on the 1st revision of the 2nd Edition OS map, it being shown as Hill Farm on the earlier OS maps. The fact that the fingerpost gives the direction to the Grange, along with its unusual design, also suggests that it was privately erected by a past owner of The Grange rather than by the municipal authority. This fingerpost is intact and constructed of cast iron. The column has a spiral finish with a ringed ball below the fingers. The three double-faced fingers are embossed 'TO BILLARICAY', 'TO WICKFORD' and 'TO THE GRANGE', but unusually the distances to these locations are not shown. The lowest finger has a full collar and the middle and upper fingers each have half collars. Both the column and fingers are painted in black and white. This signpost post-dates the 1888 Act. It does display some unusual design features for fingerposts in Essex (for example the column's spiral finish and ringed ball, the lack of distances on the fingers and one of the fingers giving the direction to a private property), which do afford it some intrinsic interest. However, this may be a result of it having possibly been erected privately rather than it being an interesting example of municipal design. It is not located in a Conservation Area, does not enhance the setting of a listed building and does not have a particularly high number of fingers. On this basis, it is not considered to meet the criteria for listing. This fingerpost is of insufficient interest in a national context to merit listing. Reasons for decision: This fingerpost is not recommended for designation, for the following principal reasons: - It is not an early example of a fingerpost. - It does not contribute significantly to a Conservation Area or the setting of a listed building. - It does not have a particularly high number of fingers. <4>