A century-old milepost in Buckinghamshire has been restored and returned to its original location following its discovery in a private garden over 30 years after it went missing.
The historic milepost, which marks 13 miles to Brill and 3 miles to Buckingham on the Brill road at Hillesden, is thought to date from the late 19th or early 20th century.
It is last recorded as having been in place in the late 1980s, before being taken.
But in July 2021, Buckinghamshire Council's Archaeology Service was contacted by local historian Peter Gulland to advise that the long-lost milepost had been found in a garden in Oxfordshire.
The homeowner was keen to see it back in its rightful place, and so Buckinghamshire Council's Archaeology Service arranged to collect it.
It was in a very bad state of preservation and so it was taken to Moss' Blacksmiths in Thame to be stripped back, repainted and re-signed.
Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, commented:
"It's fantastic that this piece of Buckinghamshire's heritage has now been restored, and we wish to say a big thank you to Peter Gulland for finding the milepost and paying for its conservation and repainting.
"The newly restored and relocated milestone will be reviewed for inclusion in our Local Heritage List, along with all other mileposts in the county."
[PICTURE: Peter Strachan (Cabinet Member for Planning & Regeneration), Calvin Richardson (Area Manager for Transport for Bucks), Lucy Lawrence (Archaeological Officer), Eliza Alqassar (Historic & Built Environment Manager), and David King (Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport).]