PRESS RELEASE
- 'Jefferies Land' Conservation Trust
New conservation trust leaps into action to protect local literary landmark
The newly formed 'Jefferies Land Conservation Trust' has written to English Heritage requesting that the government's protector of historic monuments might place a preservation order on a milestone, opposite the old Coate Cottages. The old stone marker was immortalised in Richard Jefferies' 'Meadow Thoughts', published in 1884 in the book, "The Life of the Fields".
The Trust is concerned that this literary landmark might be removed or damaged as it falls within the proposed development area of Coate.
The opening lines of 'Meadow Thoughts' read:
"The old house stood by the silent country road, secluded by many a long,long mile, and yet again secluded within the great walls of the garden.Often and often I rambled up to the milestone which stood under an oak, to look at the chipped inscription low down--'To London, 79 Miles.' So faraway, you see, that the very inscription was cut at the foot of the stone, since no one would be likely to want that information. It was half hidden bydocks and nettles, despised and unnoticed."
'Meadow Thoughts' inspired Reginald Arkell, another writer, to seek out the countryside that Jefferies brought alive. Arkell's clue was that he was looking for somewhere "79 miles from London". In his book about Jefferies published in 1933, he records how his investigations led him to Coate and to the famous milestone.The 'old house' is now Jefferies Museum.
Whilst the oak has disappeared the milestone can still be seen along with the nettles alongside the original Coate lane that now runs south of the dual carriageway A4259, MarlboroughRoad.
Today the milestone still stands upright bearing the chipped inscription 'To London 79 miles'. The stone is about 41 inches high and it also displays the mileages to other towns although the inscriptions are not so clear. 'To Swindon 2 miles', 'To Hungerford 14 miles', 'To Marlborough --- miles' andthere is one other illegible place name with just a '9' visible.
A spokesperson for Trust said:
"This milestone was old in Jefferies' time. To still be able to see the stone and read theinscription mentioned in his book adds extra delight. This is just anotherreason, on top of the thousands that people have expressed already, to Save Coate from the developers".
4 comments:
Swindon Advertiser
Date Published: Monday 19 September 2005
Battle to look after local history
by Isabel Field
A NEW conservation trust is fighting to protect a local literary landmark.
The Jefferies Land Conservation Trust has written to English Heritage asking for a preservation order to be placed on a milestone opposite Coate Cottages.
The trust is worried that the old stone marker, referred to in author
Richard Jefferies' work, might be removed or damaged as it falls within the proposed development area for a university, 1,800 homes and a business park.
Paul Davis, who lives in one of the Coate Cottages with his partner and their three sons, does not want to see the stone destroyed.
"You see people walking past and everyone without exception stops to look at it," said Paul, 35.
"That milestone is mentioned in Richard Jefferies' work as being old and faded then so it must have been 100 years old then.
"Very few towns can say they have a milestone that is that old.
"Okay it is only a very small piece of Swindon's heritage but I think it is important.
"It encapsulates what we would stand to lose from this development."
The milestone was immortalised in Jefferies' `Meadow Thoughts', published in 1884 in the book `The Life of the Fields'.
The opening lines of `Meadow Thoughts' read: "The old house stood by the silent country road, secluded by many a long, long mile, and yet again secluded within the great walls of the garden.
"Often and often I rambled up to the milestone which stood under an oak, to look at the chipped inscription low down `To London, 79 Miles.'
"So far away, you see, that the very inscription was cut at the foot of the stone, since no-one would be likely to want that information.
"It was half hidden by docks and nettles, despised and unnoticed."
`Meadow Thoughts' inspired Reginald Arkell, another writer, to seek out the countryside that Jefferies brought alive.
Arkell's clue was that he was looking for somewhere 79 miles from London. In his book about Jefferies published in 1933, he records how his investigations led him to Coate and to the famous milestone.
The `old house' is now the Jefferies Museum.
While the oak has disappeared, the milestone can still be seen along with the nettles alongside the original Coate road that now runs south of the dual carriageway A4259 Marlborough Road.
The stone is about 41 inches high and it also displays the mileages to other towns although the inscriptions are not so clear.
`To Swindon 2 miles', `To Hungerford 14 miles', `To Marlborough miles' can all be read and there is one other illegible place name with just a `9'
visible.
The Jefferies Land Conservation Trust wants to preserve the land at Coate as a literary heritage site in honour of the Victorian author.
"This milestone was old in Jefferies' time," a spokesperson for the trust said.
"To still be able to see the stone and read the inscription mentioned in his book adds extra delight.
"This is just another reason, on top of the thousands that people have expressed already, to save Coate from the developers."
Contrary to what we were told by English Heritage, the milestone IS a Grade II listed building and possibly 300 years old.
Records for listed in Chiseldon Parish can be seem:
http://193.113.179.211/chiseldon-7.pdf
+++++++++
Milestone DCMS Ref: 11/181
Marlborough Road Grade: II
Coate
Chiseldon
Opposite No 19.
C18 or early C19. Inscription defaced. Rounded face, top dented. Illegibly painted Swindon 2 - Hungerford 14 miles.
======
There is another listed milestone on the Marlborough Road but I assume that it doesn't fall within the planning application area, 4 miles from Swindon.
There is no mention of the milestone in the Swindon Gateway planning application. Only mention
is made of the listed buildings along Day House lane. No mitigation is proposed to protect their setting contrary to planning guidance.
I am writing to the planning department again to register another objection
to the planning application on the grounds that a buffer is needed to
protect the setting of the milestone.
The same is true, of course, for Day House Farm, Jefferies Museum and the
listed buildings at Badbury Wick that have been given virtually no buffer in
the planning application.
Alan and I reckon that a 6 mile buffer should be okay!
English Heritage has agreed to update the description of the listing to include reference to Richard Jefferies and the inscription: London, 79 miles
Swindon Advertiser
Date Published: Thursday 22 September 2005
Historic stone is already protected
CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating after discovering a milepost they want to save is already protected.
They had wanted to see the milepost mentioned in the work of Victorian author Richard Jefferies listed so it would be protected if plans to build a university, 1,800 homes and a business park go ahead on land near Coate.
But, despite finding out that the milepost is already Grade-II listed, the newly-formed Jefferies Land Conservation Trust is still concerned because the developers have failed to mention the post in their plans.
"We are delighted that it has already got listing," said Jean Saunders, acting secretary for the trust.
"And even more delighted that English Heritage were pleased with the information we provided them.
"They didn't know about the Jefferies connection and were not aware of the inscription on the base which says London 79 miles. That seems such a long way 150 years ago."
The group was originally told the post was not listed but English Heritage has now confirmed it.
But the group still has concerns about the milepost, which stands opposite Coate Cottages, and the listed buildings on Day House Lane.
"So we have lodged a formal objection with the planning department on the grounds that the developers have firstly failed to realise the significance of the milestone and secondly failed to take notice of any of the Grade-II listed buildings," said Mrs Saunders.
Richard Evans, spokesman for the Gateway Partnership, said it was aware of all the listed buildings in the area and of the milepost and that they were not under threat.
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