Local craftspeople commissioned to replace and renovate North Yorkshire village road signs

“Direction signs and nameplates are just the kind of thing we often take for granted,” says Ellie Hook, manager of the Howardian Hills Landscape in North Yorkshire, “but they actually make a big contribution to the sense of place. If they weren’t there we would really miss them.”

Volunteers from the Howardian Hills Partnership conducted a survey of road signs and nameplates across the renowned National Landscape and recorded 40 old style direction sign crosses in 47 different villages and hamlets, and reported the condition of 103 nameplates.

It was discovered that some were modern, part-plastic replacements, while some of the original older signs had corroded, been bent or badly faded.

Cast iron replacements, faithful to the originals, were commissioned from skilled craft workers on the other side of the North York Moors in Staithes to replace those which couldn’t be repaired, as part of an on-going project in conjunction with local communities.

“We’ve been careful to go back to the original design when replacement is necessary using cast iron and some of the new village name plates have reflective studs in the embossed lettering, a feature which seems to date back to the early 20th century,” said Ellie.

Since beginning the restoration project 69 village nameplates, many on stone plinths or millstones, have been restored or upgraded at Hovingham, Stonegrave and Sproxton. The latest round of work has seen a further six signs renovated, including in Whenby and Brandsby.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) were renamed National Landscapes by the government in 2023 following the Landscapes Review policy paper. The Howardian Hills were originally designated as an AONB in 1987. The 79-square mile patch of countryside, between York and Malton was originally part of the Howard family estate and features a variety of land, with hills, valleys, woodland, arable fields and pasture, fens, parklands and scattered settlements.

Despite being funded by North Yorkshire Council and the UK Government, the Howardian Hills Partnership, responsible for the renovation works, has no statutory power, and owns no land. All of its work is the result of building strong networks in its community with landowners, farmers and partner organisations, working together to plan projects and secure funding to deliver them.

“Retaining local distinctiveness is very much part of our management plan for the Howardian Hills,” adds Ellie, “it’s also a community effort working with volunteers and local parish councils.”