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Canal mileage posts
Had a very pleasant walk from Burscough to Wigan this afternoon along Leeds Liverpool canal, I was asked by a cyclist if he was going the right way for Liverpool? he was, he said he wasn't sure as the facing side of the mileage posts were showing Leeds in his direction. I'd not really thought about it before, I was aware they are that way round but logically shouldn't the facing/direction side should show the destination?
Any logical reason why they are the way they are?
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Presumably, to avoid travellers having to crane their necks backwards to see how far it is to their destination.
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Originally Posted by
The PNP
Presumably, to avoid travellers having to crane their necks backwards to see how far it is to their destination.
You have to, the destination is on the reverse side. I was walking in the direction of Leeds, the mileage markers on the facing side of me walking towards Leeds show Liverpool, on the other side they show Leeds so I have to look back at the post to see how far it was to Leeds?
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Originally Posted by
gsgsgs
You have to, the destination is on the reverse side. I was walking in the direction of Leeds, the mileage markers on the facing side of me walking towards Leeds show Liverpool, on the other side they show Leeds so I have to look back at the post to see how far it was to Leeds?
So, whoever designed them must have felt it more important to know how far you've travelled.....
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When the horse was pulling a barge along the towpath the marker posts helped the owner work out how far it had walked and when to rest it.
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Thank you Mr Google
"If you were driving along a motorway and saw a sign that said HIRST WOOD 50 miles, you would know you had 50 miles still to go on your journey.
But it would appear that whoever put up the milestones on the canal erected them all the wrong way round.
This photo, taken on the tow path from Dowley Gap to Hirst Wood, suggests you are heading for Liverpool but we know we are heading towards Leeds.
So what’s happening?
We asked Paul House, from Canal and River Trust who explained: “We get a lot of query’s regarding this. The reason is the boatmen could look at the mile posts and see how far they had travelled so they knew how much toll they had to pay.”
Source: http://www.hirstwoodrg.co.uk/canal%20signposts.htm
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Originally Posted by
seivad
Thank you Mr Google
"If you were driving along a motorway and saw a sign that said HIRST WOOD 50 miles, you would know you had 50 miles still to go on your journey.
But it would appear that whoever put up the milestones on the canal erected them all the wrong way round.
This photo, taken on the tow path from Dowley Gap to Hirst Wood, suggests you are heading for Liverpool but we know we are heading towards Leeds.
So what’s happening?
We asked Paul House, from Canal and River Trust who explained: “We get a lot of query’s regarding this. The reason is the boatmen could look at the mile posts and see how far they had travelled so they knew how much toll they had to pay.”
Source:
http://www.hirstwoodrg.co.uk/canal%20signposts.htm
Thanks for that information. But Tolls? on Canals? Yes - had to check that out for myself. There were toll booths at strategic places along canals, positioned so that a boatman could not escape them. The Canals in 1790 were mostly privately owned and boatmen were charged per mile and in accordance with the goods that they carried. Several hid the more valuable goods under low value goods to escape full payment. When rail services came in, the tolls gradually reduced and eventually were phased out.
At one point, canals were looked on by the Government as 'dirty ditches' and had intended in filling them in. But many volunteer groups protested and without permission started cleaning the waterways up to create leisure facilities for people. The government recognised the potential in this purpose and invested £millions into upgrading them. The present day Government has now discovered a new purpose for the canals. New housing developments on the sides of canals bring optimum prices for such properties.
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