Our Special Finger Post Sign For All Seasons

This to my knowledge is the only finger post sign that actually changes with the seasons as we had to build this lovely old station sign with two extra guide - arms, one saying Steam Trains Daily for the summer time table & the other, Steam Trains Weekends Only.  I was interviewed by Meridian Television while working on this sign on the same day that The Railway Children was being filmed here at the world famous Bluebell Steam Railway in Horsted Keynes Sussex.  It was a great experiance to meet Jenny Agutter & the rest of the cast of this classic much loved family film.

This Is Truly What I Do Best As Well As Being My Personal Gift To The Beautiful English Countryside

 I Have Real Passion For All Things English So Without Any Question The Spitfire Has To Be My Favorite Design Icon As It Really Is the Best Example Of Living Engineering Perfection

We Are Currently Making Traditional Sussex All Hardwood, Seasoned Finger Post Signs For The A272 Which Is One Of The Most Attractive Main East To West Main Roads In Southern England As It Starts Just East Of The Sussex Village Of Hadlow Down & Goes All The Way To Winchester In Hampshire  Passing Through Some Amazing Countryside, Historic Market Towns & Picture Postcard Villages Along The Scenic Route. We Shall Be Returning Here To Fit The Overhead Route Board Numbers.

 This Finger Post Sign Above Is Located At Ansty In West Sussex Which Is On The Classic Vintage London To Brighton Car Route. Genevieve Will Be Driving Right Passed This Sign On The 2012 Vintage Car Run.  IT Would Be Nice To See The Traffic Volumes That We Had Back In 1953 On Today's Roads, Well Who Knows, With Fuel Prices Set To Rocket In The Next Few Years We May See This Happen !

We made this finger post sign back in the 1990's & it still looks just as good today in the 21st century.

Having grown up in a rural Sussex village I have always been deeply inspired by the local history as this is the county of Hilaire Belloc, William Blake, Sir Edward Elgar, Ranyard Kipling, A.A Milne, William Penn & Thomas Paine who inspired the American Revolution.

One simply can't grow up here without being moved by such a deep and rich history.  The Ashdown Forest  & the Bluebell Steam Railway along with Wakehurst Place, Sheffield Park  & The Stunning South Downs. It really is an immense privilege to have been born here.

In just a few minutes drive you can be in the four counties of East & West Sussex Surrey & Kent.  Hever Castle, Penshurst Place & Chiddingstone, Battle Abbey, the towns & villages of Rye, Bosham & Lewes are wonderful places to keep returning to as they are history time traps that never appear to really change in our rapidly modernising South East.  It must be this very fact that inspires me to create these beautiful hand crafted bespoke finger post signs as I so much wish to protect the rural image of not just Sussex but all that remains of the lovely unspoilt English countryside.

As a boy growing up in the 1960's I loved watching Jack Hargreaves Out of Town TV series with a passion as well as the Country Ways TV films which I ended up featuring in with my finger post work. 

I have made enormous efforts to redesign the old finger post sign using space age technology with regard to the materials used.  The combination of an all English hardwood specification that uses only selected construction grade fully seasoned timber that  

is planed, sanded & beautifully hand painted with the Worlds most advanced paints.  Clients are always stunned at our very low prices & our ability to provide a specification a World above our competitors, this is achieved by more than 20 years experience of making, refurbishing & repairing classic finger post signs throughout Great Britain.   

The Grange

Great Bookham Surrey

This Spring We Are Going Be Moving Some Of Our Hardwood Finger Post Production To The Surrey Village Of Great Bookham Where A Group Of Very Dedicated Volunteers Will Be Involved In The Making, Refurbishing & Reconstruction Of Our Classic Signs.  The Grounds Of This Period Building Contain An Edwardian Walled Garden & Extensive Workshops Offering Us Incredible Opportunities Enabling Us To Pass On An Outstanding Service To Our Clients.  

This Is Both An Exciting Development For Us As Well As The Dedicated Staff & Volunteers At The Grange  

It's Nice To See That At Least One Of The Bill & Ben Twins Is Still Sitting Down By The Potting Sheds Waiting For The Gardener To Go Up To The House For His Lunch !

The Wonderful Facilities Provided Here By The Grange Are Very Comprehensive.

It Really Is A Great Privilege To Be Able To Come Here  & Use The Brilliant  Facilities As Both The Staff & Volunteers Are So Very Enthusiastic.  

This Beautiful Location Is Situated Very Close To The Famous National Trust Property Of Polesden Lacey Which Lies Within The Stunning Rural Area Of The Surrey Hills.

The Finger Post Signs Look So Good Against A Background Of Majestic Oak Trees And Green Fields In This Beautiful Park Land Setting At Horsted Keynes In Sussex. 

  This Great New Masterpiece Of Film Work  Will Show The The England Of Between 1914 & 1918.  I Hope That It Will Inspire People To Put An Even Greater Effort In To Protecting What Remains Of Our Beautiful Countryside & Rural Villages. Perhaps It Will Remind Us All Of The Great Sacrifice Made By Our British Armed Forces Through The Two Great Wars & Every Conflict Since.

The Film '' Warhorse '' And It's Link To The Beautiful Devon Village Of Iddesleigh On The Western Edge Of Dartmoor Will Inspire People From All Over The World To Come Here As The Film Truly Does Capture The Amazing Lighting & Stupendous Panoramic Views With Dramatic Colour Combined With The Ancient Rock Formations On The Tors Of Dartmoor.  When You Include The Narrow Brooks & Cascading Moorland Streams Flowing Down Into The Picture Postcard Historical Villages You Really Could Not Have A Better Location For Our Finger Post Signs As When Installed They Become At One With The Landscape & Truly Enhance The Unspoiled Rural Image Of This Stunning Location. The Book By Michael Morpurgo, The Stage Production & The Amazing Film Masterpiece By The Legendary Steven Spielberg Is Really Going To Create A Major Impact On Our British Tourist Industry.

Ironically The Field Behind Our Finger Post Sign In The Photo Below Has Some Real War History As A German ME 109 Fighter Was Shot Down Here During The Battle Of Britain In 1940.  In More Recent Years The Army Cavalrey Horses Injured By A London IRA Bomb Blast Ended Their Days Here Grazing In This Beautiful Park Land At Horsted Keynes In Sussex

Just Look At The Quality Of Our Beautifully Hand Crafted Bespoke Finger Post Signs.  The Oak Used In Their Construction Comes From Ashdown Forest In Sussex.  

Please Note That We Make All Our Signs From A Single Section Of Selected, Construction Grade, Seasoned Hardwood.  They Are Planed, Sanded & Painted With 8 Coats Of Zinsser Stain Block & Sodoline Air-Breathing Gloss. We Spend Many Days Of Very Labour Intensive Work Getting Them To Look This Good. 

One Of The Great Things About Working Out In The Rural Villages Is The Interesting People That You Get To Meet, So Often The Old Soldiers & Pple People Who Were Children Growing Up In The English Countryside During  WW2  Have Incredible Stories To Tell About Their True Life Experiences, Many Calling Them The Best Time Of Their Lives. I Will Miss This Generation So Very Much When The Passing Of Time Causes Them To Fade From Our World.   

I Have worked in a lot of the front line villages North and South of the famous Churchill Line,  back in 1940 this was the point where had a German army successfully landed on the South Coast of England this would have been the exact point where the German offensive would have grounded to a sudden halt due to the lack of logistic support from their restricted ability to resupply over such a long distance to an Island fortress such as England.  This would have been due mainly to the arrival in the English Channel of The Royal Navy Home Fleet from Scapa Flow,  it would have caused complete havoc with the German Army innability to bring over fresh supplies across the English Channel in sufficient mass in order to keep an offensive Army fully mobilized in the field.  Secondary to the well designed massive concrete decencies coupled together with a strengthening fighter & bomber force from the Midlands & over 1 million soldiers under arms made up of both Home Guard & Regular Army Units would have been enough to guarantee a massive German defeat on the scale of Stalingrad.   Churchill had authorized  the use of chemical weapons had this situation ever developed upon this scale.  Many Home Guard units consisted of well trained veterans from WW1.   The Key to this entire defensive line holding was maintaining RAF air superiority & the radar chain throughout Southern England.  

This Is A Classic Example  Of A British Pillbox Design That You Would Find Along The Route Of The Famous Churchill Line.   This Really Was Where Hitler Would Have Met His Waterloo Had The German Invasion Of South East England Taken Place Back In 1940 According To A Military Exercise Carried Out At Sandhurst In The 1970's, This  Included Members Of The German High Command Who Originally Planned The Invasion.   The Outcome Of The War Game Was That The German Army Would Have Been Defeated On The 3rd Day Of The Invasion On The Churchill Line.

Can You Believe That A Volunteer  Group Exists Who Specialize In The Restoration Of WW2 Pillboxes ?

Go To Their Web Page In The Link Below  & See The Fruits Of Their Great Work In Preserving Our WW2 Concrete Defensive Pillboxes.

I met an old boy who was given the job of blowing up some of these pillboxes just after the war with high explosive charges, he confirmed that many of them were so well built that it was near on impossible to destroy them, so when you consider just how quickly they were constructed it says wonders for their rugged design & construction from basic materials ! 

http://www.pillbox-study-group.org.uk/eaststokepillboxpage.htm

The Long Running & Very Popular TV Series Of Heartbeat  Is Living Proof As To Just How Much We Our In Love With Our Past

The Combination Of A Sleepy English Village Full Of Classic Cars & Motor Cycles, Great 1960's Music & Morris 1000 Police Cars Was Always Going To Be A Massive Hit

We Have Made This Main Road Double Ended Hardwood Finger - Arm  For A Finger Post Sign In Balcombe Along The Route Of The Original London To Brighton Vintage Car Run.  In Fact Genevieve Would Have Driven Passed The Original Finger Post Sign.

We Really Feel That Are Hand Crafted Bespoke Finger Post Signs Belong In The Country Lanes & On The Village Greens Of Rural Great Britain. 

 If There Was One Man Who Inspired My Love Of The English Countryside & Desire To Carve Out A Life Style Working Far From The Madding Crowd It Would Have To Be The Legendary ''Jack Hargreaves'' As I Never Missed An Episode Of What Became My Favorite Television Series Of  ''Out Of Town'' I Loved His Great Wisdom, Enthusiasm & Experience Of All Matters Relating To The Changing Historical Development Of The British Countryside. For Me Jack Hargreaves Opened Up A Window Into Our Past That To This Day Continues To Inspire Me To Do Whatever I Can To Protect The Ambiance & Quintessential Charm Of Our Beautiful Countryside & Historical Towns & Villages.  I Always Wanted To Have An Old Timber Workshop Complete With All The Old Tools Hanging Up On The Walls Just Like His Own In The New Forest In Hampshire. There Is A Great Line In The Jack Hargreaves Interview Where He Warns Us ''That One Day We Will All Live In The City Of Great Britain'',  What A Horrible Thought But A Possible Reality With A Population Expansion Of 200,000 More People Per Year.

There Is A Chilling Warning From Jack Hargreaves In This Very Interesting Interview About The The Countryside.  

Jack Hargreaves Predicts ''That One Day We Could All Be Living In The City Of England !'' What A Nightmare Thought !

If You Are Still Not Convinced About Just How Much Interest There Is In The Picture Post Card England Of Miss Marple By The Rest Of The World, Just Look At The Facts Concerning The Hit TV Series Of ''Midsomer Murders As It Is Shown In Over 200 Countries Around The World. The Perfect  Charming Village Locations & Stunning  Period Architecture Of The Houses, The Use Of Classic Vintage Cars & Even The Occasional Use Of The 1950's Bakelite Period Telephones Makes This A Modern Day Miss Marple. You Can Almost Expect To See Margaret Rutherford Living In One Of Those Dream Like Cottages In An Oxfordshire Or Buckinghamshire Village Which Provide The Film Locations For The Midsomer  Murders.  This Truly Is Living Proof That We Have Our Very Own Gold Mine As Regards To Our Present & Future Tourism Which Should Be Able To Make Some Impact On Helping To Save What Remains Of Our Village Shops, Rural Garages & Country Pubs.

We Would Dearly Love To See Our Heritage Finger Post Signs Used In The Midsomer Murder Filming Locations As It Would Add That Perfect Finishing Touch To Any Quintessential English Village.

We Only Use Our Own Embossed Non - Corrosive Metal Lettering Which Comes In Both 2 Inch & 2 1/2 Inch Sizes.

These Are Attached With Solid Brass Screws

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ss1tp

 We Go To Great Length To Ensure That The Finger Post Signs Are Set In The Ground At A Perfect Level Position As Well As Achieving All The Best Possible Sight Lines For The Road Junction Layout.

Just Look At The Quality Of The Embossed Non-Corrosive Metal Lettering & Hi -Tec Air Breathing Paintwork. Please Note That We Use Only Solid Brass Screws For Attaching The Lettering A Stainless Fixings For The Post Crowns.

We have included many links in our website to great achievements of design & engineering perfection that Great Britain has been at the very heart of since the industrial revolution.  Our finger post signs are an important part of our roadside heritage and almost unique to this country.  The great human effort that has gone into preserving the last flying RAF Vulcan is the same kind of enthusiastic feeling that we encounter with villages wishing to retain their old finger- post signs. Avro Vulcan XH558 has been named the Spirit of Great Britain, the sound of her 4 Rolls Royce Bristol Olympus Concorde engines and dramatic sight of her massive delta wing are helping to inspire a new golden age of science and technology within the ranks of our youth.  The Vulcan is now supported by British Industry as it is a truly great advertisement as to what it can achieve.   

I truly believe that the Vulcan Appeal is well worth making donation to as we desperately need to inspire a new generation of great young designers, scientists & engineers because their inventions create tomorrows jobs.

There Are Almost Too Many Charities Rattling Tins These Day's But I Really Do Believe That Keeping This Last RAF Vulcan Flying Is So Very Important As It Will Help Inspire Our Youth To Take UP Science  & Engineering Degrees Instead Of The Pointless Art History, Politics,  Law, Media Studies & Other  Subjects That Contribute Nothing To Our Development Of  Science & Engineering That This Country So Badly Needs Right Now  !!!!

RAF Vulcan XH558 Has Been Renamed The Spirit Of Great Britain, She Is All That Is Left Flying Of The Concorde In Sharing The Same Rolls Royce Bristol Olympus Engines & A Delta Wing.

Please Go & See The Vulcan Fly At A Display Near You.  It Is Going To Take Part In The Opening Of The Olympic Games In London 2012.  Please Give Whatever You Can To Help Keep This Great Example of British Thinking Outside Of The Box Engineering Alive.  You Can Go To The Link Below To Make A Donation.  

VULCAN XH558 Truly Is The Spirit Of Great Britain, She Defended Our Islands During The Cold War Just As The Spitfire & Hurricane Fighters Did During The Battle Of Britain, Now She Needs Our Help To Keep Her Flying. 

So Please Help This Beautiful Iconic British Aircraft In It's Hour Of Need As England Expects Us To Do Our Duty.

I truly believe that the most important thing to achieve is precision engineering using the very best materials to produce finger post signs that are fit for purpose and able to go beyond at least 5 decades.

Abinger Hammer residents' delight as signpost repaired

 LOCALS have spoken of their delight after a signpost described as a "window to the past" was repaired.

Residents of Abinger Hammer pulled together in 1993 to have a traditional oak signpost made when the original one on the village green fell into disrepair and they were left with a metal replacement.

 But nearly 20 years on, the sign was falling apart until the craftsman who made it carried out repairs – despite being unsure if he will be paid.

Marcus Slegg, owner of Heritage Finger Post Signs, made the sign in 1993 and carried out the restoration work last week.

He said: "I heard that the sign was in a sad state of repair and I had a feeling that its fate could be a bit of a waiting game.

"I wasn't convinced that the sign would last the winter so I put everything in motion to repair and refurbish it myself.

"I have sent my account to Abinger Hammer Parish Council but there is no guarantee that I will ever be paid for the work, as I had no official go-ahead, but replacing it with a tacky plastic article is a case of a red rag to a bull to me."

He added: "When I was restoring the finger post, cars passing tooted their horns in appreciation of what I was doing.

"It's not just a sign, it's a window to the past for a lot of people of times they hold dear, so there is a real sense of romance about preserving a piece of the village's heritage."

Jean Velacott, 77, who made a contribution to the 1993 signpost in memory of her late husband, is delighted to see it restored to its former glory.

She said: "The metal sign just did not suit this village, so much so that residents felt strongly enough to put their hands in their pocket to have a traditional one made, but the elements had taken their toll and we were worried it would be lost if nothing was done to save it."

Sheila Huggett, who alerted Mr Slegg to the sign's condition, said: "The finger post sign is such a lovely feature in the centre of the village. It is a traditional and friendly welcome for both locals and visitors and it is wonderful to have it looking its best once more."

Below Is A Finger Arm That We Made Back In 1993 For The Surrey Mole Valley Village OF Abinger Hammer. We Are Proud To be Involved In The Refurbishment Of This Finger - Post Sign Today Enabling It To Carry On For Decades To Come. 

We Are Currently Refurbishing The Abinger Hammer Finger Post Sign Whenever The Sunshine's Upon This Lovely Village Green.

We have secured this sign in a level position with oak dowels which are planed back, sanded smooth and then painted in with the oak post.

Below Is The Famous Abinger Hammer Clock, As With The Finger-Post Sign On The Village Green It's Another Part Of The Rural Heritage That Needs To Be Retained.  

Just to the North of here is the very edge of the rapidly expanding Urban sprawl where tarmac & concrete are always on the move & heading towards our beautiful Green Belt countryside at an alarming rate.  This is why it is so important to reclaim our country lanes & village greens from becoming urbanized with tacky modern street furniture which is only fit for large towns that have already been trashed & made void of any character. 

WARNING 

There Are Plenty Of Bodge It & Leg It Contractors Out There Who Will Make You A Finger Post Sign Out Of Very Poor Quality Materials. The Posts Will Be Unseasoned Fencing Grade Timber, The Finger-Arms Would Be Just Planks Of Unfinished Timber Painted With One Coat Paint. The Lettering Made From Perspex Fixed With Rusty Screws.  I really Don't Know Why People Bother To Go Ahead With Something That Is Not Fit For Purpose That Turns Into A Future Maintenance

Liability Nightmare Which Is Not Economically Viable To Keep Repairing.  Sadly There Are Many Hundreds Of Finger-Post Signs Out There In The Countryside Made To This Appalling Specification.  It Truly Is A False Economy & A Total Waste Of Money.  I Rest My Case

The Photo Below Is Is A Fine Example Of A Very Low Specification Finger Post Sign That We Are Now Having To Replace.  

Only a complete idiot would plant these oak signs straight into the damp, sticky water retaining Wealden clay as this is the perfect environment for them to prematurely decay below and above ground level as there is a consistent supply of both water & oxygen to initiate the rotting process. We have overcome this problem by creating a special granite chippings drainage foundation that prevents any part of the finger post sign coming into contact with either the earth or clay. this allows the oak to breath and remain dry all year round. This dramatically extends the life of the entire finger post by many decades. This has been tried & tested and it works in the same way as the railway sleeper principle of being bedded into granite chippings.

What you see here below is perfect example of how not to construct a finger post sign.

The finger arms should not be jointed in the middle of the post as this makes for a weak construction.

The plastic lettering is a complete disaster as it can't cope with the expansion & contraction of the timber during the changing seasons and simply becomes brittle eventually breaking off.  The use of the Ramin wood dowel is crazy as it starts to rot within 18 months, this then spreads to both the finger arms and then the post itself.  Finger post signs made to this very poor standard are just a complete waste of time and money as they only have a very short life.  

 This Is A Fine Example of Very Poor Workmanship Carried Out By Cowboy Sign Contractors.  

You can clearly see that the finger - arms are joined in the middle of the post which makes for a very weak joint resulting in failure.  

The Remains Of This Old Finger Post Above Is A Very Fine Example As To How Not To Construct A Finger Post Sign As Well As Clear Evidence Regarding The Stupidity Of  Not Using A Granite Drainage Foundation For The Oak Posts.  Placing Oak Straight Into The Damp Wealden Clay As Any Farmer Will Tell You Is Simply Very Foolish As The Water & Oxygen At Just Below Ground Level Will Cause Premature Decay As The Timber Is Prevented From Breathing Or Ever Drying Out.  The Use Of Granite On The Railway Tracks Allows The Railway Sleepers To Remain Dry & Firm,  The Same Should Apply To The Oak Finger Post Signs As It Would Dramatically Extend Their Lifespan From Years To Many Decades !!!

Its True To Say That The Cowboy Sign Contracts Keep Us Very Busy Having To Replace All Their Badly Made Low Specification Finger Post Signs.  Look At What Just Planting The Oak Posts Into The Wealden Clay Does To The Bottom Section Of The Posts.   Its Such A Simple Task To Install Them Into A Broken Granite Stone Foundation That Prevents Any Decay Below Ground Level.

Please Note How The Cowboy Contractors Join The Signs In The Middle Of The Posts.  We Only Use Single Section Double-Ended Hardwood Finger - Arms As This Is The Way It Should Be Done !

The Beautifully Hand Crafted Finger Post Signs Only Look This Good If They Are Made From The Correct Materials So Why Bother With The Cowboys When You Can have A Perfect Finger Post Sign From Us ! 

When Out On Site Repairing Or Reconstructing These Finger Post Signs One Has The Great Privilege Of Seeing Many Classic Motor Cycles As Well As Great Some Vintage Cars Passing By & It Always Reminds Me That As A Young Boy Just How Much I Wanted To Own A 750 Triumph Twin As Every School Boy Wanted To Be Steve McQueen In The Great Escape.  The Sound Of That Beautiful Triumpth Engine Always Invokes Memories Of This Truly  Great Iconic Film.  

We Can Design And Construct A Finger Post Sign To Match Any Road Junction Layout Like This One Featured In The Photo Below At Ravenswood In Horsted Keynes 

 There Is So Much Interesting History Around This Beautiful Area Of The High Weald Of Ashdown Forest.

Kings Standing on Ashdown Forest is where King Henry the 8th met his Anne Boleyn,  the arrow heads that flew at the Battle of Argincourt where forged here in Ashdown Forest,  the arrow flights for that battle were made nearby in the East Sussex village of Fletching,  the Battle of Britain was fort out in the skies above here.  In fact just yards form this very finger-post sign featured above an ME 109 German fighter was shot down and crashed into the pond at the farmyard here back in WW2.  Three RAF squadrons of Spitfires & Mustang fighters were based at nearby RAF Chailey in the build up to D Day in 1944. These finger post signs are truly an impoortant part of our English roadside heritage,  they were here over 100 years ago & I am sure that they will still be here 100 years from now !

In The Year 2000 As Well As 2004 The Spitfires & Mustangs Returned To RAF Chailey & Put On A Stunning  Low Level Flying Display 

I take a great personal interest in the Spitfire because to be quite honest it is so close to being something out of this World in both design & performance,  It  truly is in a class of it's own, just look at this beautiful Mk9 version which has been purchased by the people of Kent & named The Spirit of Kent.  It's stunning aerobatic display here at RAF Biggin Hill to the dramatic sound of William Walton's awesome music ''Spitfire'' supported by almost 2000 horse power of it's beautiful twin supercharged PV12 Rolls Royce Merlin completes the finishing touch & will leave you with a real lump in your throat.

Only recently have the true facts surfaced about the Spitfires amazing performance capabilities & can be found below on this Wikipedia extract.  

Speed and altitude records

The Spitfire Mk XI flown by Sqn. Ldr. Martindale, seen here after its flight on 27 April 1944 during which it was damaged achieving a true airspeed of 606 mph (975 km/h).

Beginning in late 1943, high-speed diving trials were undertaken at Farnborough to investigate the handling characteristics of aircraft travelling at speeds near the sound barrier (i.e., the onset of compressibility effects). Because it had the highest limiting Mach number of any aircraft at that time, a Spitfire XI was chosen to take part in these trials. Due to the high altitudes necessary for these dives, a fully feathering Rotol propeller was fitted to prevent overspeeding. It was during these trials that EN409, flown by Squadron Leader J. R. Tobin, reached 606 mph (975 km/h, Mach 0.891) in a 45° dive. In April 1944, the same aircraft suffered engine failure in another dive while being flown by Squadron Leader Anthony F. Martindale, RAFVR, when the propeller and reduction gear broke off. Martindale successfully glided the Spitfire 20 mi (32 km) back to the airfield and landed safely.^[119] Martindale was awarded the Air Force Cross for his exploits.^[120]

A Spitfire was modified by the RAE for high speed testing of the stabilator (then known as the "flying tail") of the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft. RAE test pilot Eric Brown stated that he tested this successfully during October and November 1944, attaining Mach 0.86 in a dive.^[121]

On 5 February 1952, a Spitfire 19 of 81 Squadron based at Kai Tek in Hong Kong reached probably the highest altitude ever achieved by a Spitfire. The pilot,Flight Lieutenant Ted Powles,^[122] was on a routine flight to survey outside-air temperature and report on other meteorological conditions at various altitudes in preparation for a proposed new air service through the area. He climbed to 50,000 ft (15,240 m) indicated altitude, with a true altitude of 51,550 ft (15,712 m). The cabin pressure fell below a safe level and, in trying to reduce altitude, he entered an uncontrollable dive which shook the aircraft violently. He eventually regained control somewhere below 3,000 ft (900 m) and landed safely with no discernible damage to his aircraft. Evaluation of the recorded flight data suggested that, in the dive, he achieved a speed of 690 mph (1,110 km/h, Mach 0.96), which would have been the highest speed ever reached by a propeller-driven aircraft, but it has been speculated this figure resulted from inherent instrument errors.^[119]

The critical Mach number of the Spitfire's original elliptical wing was higher than the subsequently-used laminar-flow-section, straight-tapering-planform wing of the follow-on Supermarine Spiteful,Seafang and Attacker, illustrating that Reginald Mitchell's practical engineering approach to the problems of high-speed flight had paid off.^[123]

On Two Historical Occasions We  Have Been Greatly Honoured To See The Return Of The Spitfires & P51 Mustangs To RAF Chailey To Put On A Stunning Flying Display 

This was to honour the brave pilots who flew from here back in WW2 who were from Poland.

This air display was attended by the the wife of the late Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader & the legenddary Vera Lynn along with 10,000 visitors to this tiny old grass airfield at Chailey in East Sussex. It was a truly great spectacle to witness & something that I sincerely hope will return to Chailey again.

 We Really Do Have A duty Of Care To Protect Our Beautiful Countryside & Unspoilt Towns & Villages When You Consider The Supreme Sacrifice Made By Our Armed Forces In The Defence Of These Islands During The Two Great Wars. When You Listen To The Stirring Words Of  Churchill's Inspiring 1940 Speech Together With The Music Of William Walton It Really does Leave You With A Lump In Your Throat About What It Means To Be A Custodian Of This Best Kept Garden Of The World Today.

 This Stunning Mk 9 Spitfire Flying Above Returns To This Exact Spot Every Summer. I Find This Very Moving As I Was Born Within The Small Radius Of This Flying Display In A Sleepy Sussex Village.  My Parents Loved The Spitfire With A Passion As They Both Served In The Military Back In WW2.  What Touches Me Most Is The Fact That This Spitfire Is Flying Right Above The Parish Church Cemetery  Where They Are Buried.   So I Really Do View This As The Ultimate Act Of Respect To Their Memory Even Allowing For The Fact That This Is Just Down To A Remarkable Coincidence.  Well They Do Say That Many True & Wonderful Things Do Really Happen & That We Spend Most Of Our Lives In Hope Of Them !

 William Walton's Majestic Battle Of Britain March Is So Very Moving When Played Together With Sir Winston Churchill's Famous Speach Of 1940

The Words Of Our Greatest Ever Englishman Never Fails To Inspire !

 We Have Only Recently Installed These All Hardwood Finger Post Signs But They Really Do Look As If They Have Always Been Here As They Are A Match Made In Heaven With The Beautiful English Countryside.

I Would Loved To Be Asked To Make A Cast Metal Finger Post Sign To Go And Be Placed Next To The New RAF Bomber Command Memorial Currently Being Constructed In London.  The Idea Would Be To Have Multiple Finger - Arms Pointing Out Towards The Most Famous Airfields Of The Wartime RAF Bomber Command. Within The Finial Could Be An Embossed Lancaster. I Believe That This Would Be A Perfect Finishing Touch To This Great New Memorial Which Has Come Far Too Late For The Few RAF Air Crews Who Have Survived Through To The 21st Century.  This Should Have Been Given The Go Ahead Back In The 1950's

I Find It Very Touching That Our Canadian Cousins Are Contributing A Major Part Of The Funds Towards This Wonderful New Memorial Which Every Last Person In Our Nation Should Be Very Proud Of  Because Of  The Tremendous Courage & Devotion To Duty Of The Wartime RAF Aircrews. 

After Surviving Two World Wars And Many Trails & Tribulations Some Of Our Nations Historical Finger Post Signs Have Made It Through To The 21st Century.  It Would Be A Complete Disaster To Allow The Stroke Of An Accounts Pen To Bring About Their Demise After Standing The Test Of Time.

We Feel That There Should Be A New Battle of Britain Attitude Adopted By The Rural Community Towards Saving As Many Of Our Victorian & Edwardian Finger Post Signs As Possible From Being Replaced By The Ugly & Very Intrusive Modern Road Signs That Truly Belong Within The Expanding Urban Metropolis.

When Working Out On Site Among The Kent & Sussex Villages It Has Almost Become A Common Sight During The Summer Airshow Season To See Spitfires Flying Overhead To Various Flying Displays & It Always Makes You Think Where Else In the World Would You Wish To Be Right Now When This Happens.

I am Currently Restoring An Old  Cast Iron Finger Post Sign Just Outside Westerham & Close To Both RAF Biggin Hill & Sir Winston Churchill's Home At Chartwell In Kent.

 1965 Was The Period When Our Countryside & Rural Villages All Started To Embrace The Modern Age, I strongly believe this to have been a catastrophic mistake as much of our rural landscape is now badly scarred with the introduction of modern urban sign clutter which is truly detrimental to our tourist image of charming old unspoilt Miss Marple villages.  

It Is Often Said That The English Countryside Radically Changed More In The Last 60 Years Than In The Previous 4 Centuries.  

I remember this very sad & moving day in 1965 as it appeared to me that from this time forward we as a nation embarked on creating a modern age that we really did not truly wish to embrace to the extent that it has reached today with the creeping urbanisation of our beautiful countryside.  I really want to recreate the charm & elegance of the past by returning the old finger - post signs back to where they truly belong & should have remained for all time as a visible connection to our historical past.

I could not resist stopping In Westerham the other day to take this photo of the great man's statue as I live not far from Chartwell in Kent. I am sure that he would approve of what I am trying to achieve in the Garden of England.

A Walk in a Sussex Bluebell Wood in Late April / Early May Is A Day Trip To Heaven As The Combination of That Amazing Bluebell Perfume As Well As That Rich Colour That No Artist Has Ever Really Been Able To Truly Capture Is Magical & Something Very English.

There really is no greater pleasure than working outside in the English countryside in April & May of each coming Spring as the Bluebell woods are beckoning. Why not add the stunning sound of an English woodland in Spring while you explore the rest of this page. Just press the video arrow below.  To add the perfect completion to a fine walk in a bluebell wood one requires the assistance of the bird of Spring itself, the Cuckoo.  

We provide a range of traditional bespoke finger post signs and village nameplate signs plus traditional hardwood ditch rail fences for old bridges & ditches. We pride ourselves on two things: firstly that our finger post signs do look beautiful in their rural locations as the pictures clearly show,  secondly they do appear as they have always been there ! The traditional red cast iron telephone box is still missed by many of us and much of our traditional finger post signing has gone. This is inescapable on modern high speed roads but on the narrow country roads and in areas where there is an atmosphere to be preserved, we can be of assistance.

     We are involved in the manufacture & repair of traditional finger post signs in both oak and cast metal as well as village signs, house, vintage road signs and railway memorabilia. Our finger post signs can be seen in many places in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire but of special note are the New Forest, Brenchley - Kent's best kept village, the "Pooh Sticks" Bridge in Hartfield and the historical Bluebell Railway in Sussex. 

     To view a sample of our work and to learn how we may be of service to you, please explore our website.

We Restored This Old Finger Post Sign In the Beautiful Sussex Village Of Wisborough Green.  

Sir Edward Elgar Lived Here 

in the humble cottage below

Sir Edward Elgar Lived Here 

In This Humble Cottage Below. 

He would have walked past this finger post sign on many occasions as it is situated on the village green just opposite the pub.

When You Need To Bring Together The Beauty Of The English Countryside & Music, Elgar Makes It A Match Made In Heaven.  This Is An Extract From Elgar's Symphony No. 1 That Was Used To Great Effect  In The 1984 Film   ''Greystoke Lord Of The Apes''  

It Truly Is A Wonderful Feeling To Have Been Born In The County Of Elgar, Belloc, Blake & Kipling As It Gives You A Sense Of Belonging To The Past Where These Great Men Have Aspired & Achieved To Produce Such Creativity & Beauty For All Of Us To Continue To Enjoy Today.

Elgar's Chason De Matin Always Reminds Me of The Day That I Restored This Lovely Old Sussex Finger Post In Wisborough Green.

Just As With Elgar's Beautiful Masterpieces Of Stunning & Timeless Music We Also like To Think That We Are  Leaving Behind Something Really Special That Will Enhance Our Historical Villages With Our Classic Range Of Hand Built Bespoke Finger Post Signs Which Are Clearly Designed & Built To Stand The Test Of Time For Endless Future Genorations To come.

Just two of the many Sussex cast metal & hardwood finger post signs that we have restored & reconstructed with cast metal lettering & new finials

We Not Only Make The Very Best Embossed Cast Decorative Finials In The Country But We Are Also Rather Good At Restoring Them After 10 Years Of Braving The Elements. Even After 100 Years They Will Look As Good As The Day They Were Cast. 

These Cast Finials Are Beautifully Designed To Last For All Time As They Are Made From A Military Grade Non-Corrosive Alloy. 

If Your Finial Is Either Missing Or Requires Refurbishment  This Is What We Specialise In. We Are Looking To Restore Or Create As Many Of These Beautiful Cast Finials For Your Existing Finger Post Signs In Time For The Queens Diamond Jubilee In 2012.  Why Not Place Your Order Now !

 We can take your village back to the 1950's with our classic finger post signs

 We are specialists in the restoration and construction of cast metal & quality hardwood timber period finger post signs

This is the stub post base of our cast metal finger post sign. We can display embossed detail such as coats of arms  or the date the post was erected at the site. Note how we make sure that the decorative rings are level with the turf to make a perfect installation.

You should only ever have to order a cast finger post sign once so why not purchase the very best in all England if not the World ?

We receive so much positive feedback about our New Forest cast finger Post signs from cycle groups, walkers & people just visiting the New Forest.

We made this special cast finger post sign for the famous Bolderwood Arboretum in The New Forest in Hampshire. You can see this beautiful cast finger post sign in Ornamental Drive. Please drive slowly & look out for the New Forest Ponies, cattle & pigs as these are often right in the middle of the road, just around the next corner.  We made these finger post signs with an embossed pony logo to remind motorists of the 40 MPH speed limit within the New Forest National Park.  Since our finger post signs have been installed there has been a 25% drop in animal road traffic accidents, so they are doing a great job!

You see, even the ponies love our classic cast metal New Forest finger-post signs ! well who could blame them as they are the very best hand crafted cast metal finger post signs throughout Great Britain as they are made to last forever with the use of a space age, military grade non-corrosive alloy.  

Below

These embossed cast finials really do add that perfect finishing touch to your new finger post sign.  We can hand craft any logo or coat of arms to produce stunning contrasted painted embossed features that provide that classic 2 dimensional look .

This is our heavy duty vandal proof cast metal finger-arm. It has a revolutionary rail track t section reinforced webbed rim that makes it impossible for anyone to bend or damage the sign.

 This is one of our cast finger post signs made for the Hampshire village of Chawton, it points the way to the famous home of Jane Austen. It was made many years ago & looks as if it requires a wash down.   This finger post sign was featured on the BBC Television Programme ''Country Tracks'' in January of 2011.  I am sure that Jane Austen would approve of our nice cast metal finger post sign situated outside her beautiful house.

These Cast Metal Finger Post Signs Were Installed 

back in the 1990's but they still look great today 

Our Classic English Cast Metal Finger Post Signs Really Add Character To Any Area & Provide That Timeless Look 

As If They Have Always Been Here.

If You Are Ever Visiting The New Forest  In Hampshire Have Look Out For Our Cast Finger Post Signs Throughout The Forest.

The National Motor Museum At Beaulieu Is An Absolute Must To Visit As There Is A Great Deal To See Concerning Every Aspect Of Our Motoring Heritage Including Many Old Road Signs from The 1950's

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Beautiful English finger post signs for the breath taking unspoilt countryside of The New Forest

 I Truly Believe That Everything Should Be Designed & Constructed To Fulfil Its Task & Be Fit For Purpose Many Decades Into The Future Just Like This Mk 2 Hawker Hurricane Below AT RAF North Weald Which Today Acts As A Splendid Gate Guardian To The Famous Battle Of Britain Fighter Station. 

A Mk 2 Hurricane at RAF North Weald 

This is where history was made during the long hot Summer of 1940 

 Below Is The Squadron Hut At  RAF North Weald Where The Famous Few Would Have Waited For A Sqaudron Scramble Phone Call From RAF Group Back In 1940

The Great Thing About Former RAF North Weald Is That It Has Hardly Changed Since It Was A Front Line Battle of Britain Fighter Station.  I was only here recently & was treated to being able to help this nice Seafire pilot (Anna Walker) with her flying kit having just landed. Its not often you get the chance to get this close to such a beautiful aircraft & its pilot.

 Just Like With Our Finger Post Signs This Beautiful Seafire Fighter Was Built To Last And Has Truly Stood The Test Of Time.  

Sadly just weeks after I took this photo above of (Anna Walker) this very same aircraft suffered undercarriage failure and had to do an amazing wheels up landing in France. The great skill & quick cool minded actions of this brilliant female pilot (Anna Walker) who clearly saved this lovely aircraft from being destroyed.  The Seafire is currently being repaired & will be back in the air very soon.

She Really Is A Stunning Looking Aircraft & Still Capable Of Level Flight Speeds In Excess Of 440 MPH.  I am going up to Duxford to see all the Classic Warbirds flying in September.  This is a great clip below of this Seafire doing a display.

These Beautifully Hand Crafted English Finger Post Signs Are Very Much Part Of The England Of Elgar & They Grace Our Green & Pleasant Landscape Just As His Lovely Music Doe's. 

Many Of Our Finger Post Signs Have Their Roots Back In The Time Of Great Britain's Industrial Revolution Where Cast Metal Structures Were Made Here & Sent Out All Over The World.   The Victorian Age Set The Bench Mark For The Rest Of The World To Follow.  We Feel That Our Hand Crafted Signs Best Reflect This Age Of Charm, Elegance & Unrivalled Quality Of Heavy Engineering.

The Link Below Covers This Period Of Innovation & Heavy Engineering That Change Our World For Ever. 

Signpost in Cumbria, 1956

Fingerposts were widely used by the 1740s when turnpike trusts were encouraged to mark every mile, and in 1766 this became compulsory to help stagecoach and mail services keep to timetables. In 1773 the General Turnpike Act required trustees to erect signs informing travellers of the distance to the nearest town, and often to London.

Finger-Post Sign History

In the 20th century the earliest signs were erected initially by cycle clubs followed by the Automobile Association (AA) and the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), but with the Motor Car Act of 1903, the government passed responsibility for the provision of all traffic signs to local authorities.

We Design & Construct Permanent Cast Metal Embossed Village Nameplate Signs.

These traditional old village signs really add the perfect finishing touch to any rural village. We believe that they define a clear destination between ugly modern urban town clutter and period country village nameplate signs. 

For more details please go to our cast village nameplates page.

The Finger-Post Sign Below Was Made More Than A Decade Ago & It Still Looks In Great Order Today.

 This is one of our many finger-post refurbishments after being rubbed down, coated with 4 Zinsser stain block coats of  primer / undercoat followed by 4 coats of Sadolin Air Breathing Paint

We would love to see our beautifully hand crafted finger-post signs find homes in every area of outstanding natural beauty where they can enhance the landscape.

This is one of ultra high specification all hardwood finger-post signs made from carefully selected seasoned, construction grade English oak.  We use the original cast metal lettering which is secured with solid brass screws.

All the timber is planed, sanded, primed with 4 coats of Zinsser Stain Block Primer Undercoat & 4 coats of Air-Breathing Sadolin Water Based Paint.  The dowels that secure the hardwood finger-arms are Oak & so this is a finger-post sign built to last for at least 50 year & possibly more as we install them into a broken granite stone foundation so that non of the timber comes into contact with the post, this allows both perfect drainage, the timber free to breath as well as great stability.

 We just love things that are designed to be fit for purposed that combine both beauty and precision engineering, take for example the Hawk Jets used by the famous Red Arrows, this is British engineering at its very best,  with the great news that a new generation of Hawk T1 Trainer aircraft is going to be built in the UK due to growing Worldwide interest to what is widely regarded as the best of its class throughout the World.  We use the very best  space age materials and fine craftsmanship to hand build our signs to last well beyond 40 years for the hardwood types and many hundreds of years for the cast versions. 

The Red Arrows 

It really does not get any better than this !

So if you do wish to introduce period finger posts to you village please take the time to Just check exactly what you are getting before you purchase any.

They should be made from selected construction grade seasoned English oak

The dowels should also be oak

The lettering should be non-corrosive cast metal 

the screws should be solid brass

The timber should be planed, sanded & have all the sharp angle sanded off. 

The timber should have at least 8 coats of air-breathing paint.

The oak posts should only be installed into the granite chippings and never into the damp clay that will cause them to rot away in no time at all.

If you keep to this above very high specification you will have finger-post signs that are good for at least 40 years.  The cowboy manufactured finger posts will start their process of decay within a few months after being installed so don't even think about going down that negative route as it is truly a great waste of time, effort & money resulting in you being right back where you started in just a few years.

This very attractive all hardwood Sussex finger post sign is made to the highest specification ever achieved in Great Britain. We have just installed 6 of these into the beautiful & famous Sussex village of Horsted Keynes,  dozens of motorists, cyclists & pedestrians have already commented on just how good they look ! which is very encouraging.  

 This Truly Is Still A Very Beautiful Green & Pleasant Land. So With More Than 20 Years Experience Of Making & Repairing Finger Post Signs I Really Wish To Make A Major Impact On The British Countryside For The Queens Diamond Jubilee In 2012 As Well As Historical Towns & Villages.  We Have The Tools & Skills To Create Beautifully Engineered, Hand Crafted Finger Post Signs That Will Look As If They Have Always Been There But Be Fit for Purpose To Last For Another Century.

This Is Our New Village Shops Awareness Finger Post Sign To Drive Traffic Off The Main Road Towards Village Services.  

These wooden finger posts signs attract attention & really do help to promote village shops. We feel that they need all the help that they can get to be able to survive.  Certainly village shops should be excluded from business rates and be provided with support from local farmers as regards fresh produce at the same prices given to supermarkets.

This really is an important development in the right direction as regards the survival of village shops 

This is the completed refurbishment of a wooden finger post sign that is at least 40 years old, now it has been granted a new lease of life.

I am always amazed about the many positive comments I get concerning our finger post signs when meeting the public out on site, it is clear that as a nation we just love things that are historic & so very English & I am sure that this has been the fundamental reason just why Dads Army remains so popular today.  I was in the Sussex town of Rye this Summer for their WW2 day and was amazed how the Warmington - On - Sea Home Guard Tribute Soldiers were getting so much attention.  Their Captain Mainwaring was simply just mobbed by the large crowds with everybody wishing to have their photo taken along side him.  I took this photo below in Rye just as Capt. Mainwaring brought all the traffic to a complete standstill just for me to take this photo.

One of the many classic lines from this great British comedy ''Don't tell him Pike''

 Below are some of the hardwood finger-arms that we are currently working on in the South East of England 

All the signs are individually hand crafted to suit each road junction layout    

Every sign is hand crafted from selected English seasoned construction grade hardwood.  We mill all our own timber so as to make sure that only the very best straight grained wood is used. These signs do not rot as they are painted with Micro-porous air breathing paint that allows the timber to breath and for the wood to freely expand & contract.  The signs are secured with oak dowels for a permanent job.

We only use the very best paint system in the World for both our signs & lettering

Each sign is made to the length of the legends 

We only use non-corrosive permanent cast metal letting which is fixed with solid brass screws

These are individual signs for two different locations in the same area.

We love making these signs as it really does help to keep the village shops going by directing traffic off the main roads towards the village services such as the Post Office, Butchers, Bakery & Village Stores & if you are lucky a nice old garage & Country Pub to stop for lunch.

Far too often we see signs saying ''The Old Post Office, The Old Vicarage, The Old Forge & a boarded up Old Village Stores.  This should never been allowed to happen as these shops should have been exempted from business rates as they provide a great local service to the rural commumnity. 

Just how often do you see a lovely old sign like this pointing towards a country railway station.  We just love bringing back the very best of the classic heritage signs of the past for use in the 21st century. 

These signs are made to the highest specification of any timber signs made in Great Britain as we use only the very best selected construction grade seasoned timber. They are planed, sanded and have all the sharp right angle removed.  They really are made to last for a lifetime !  They are beautifully painted with up to  6 coats of micro-porous paint.

When I Was A Boy You Could Not Find Any Greater Inspiration To Carve Out A Life Working In The English Countryside & Be Able To Witness The Changing Seasons Than The Late Jack Hargreaves, Can You Believe That He Has Now Been Gone 25 Years.  Jack Really Inspired My Love Of Wood, The Countryside,The Old Tools & I Always Wanted An Old Wooden Workshop Just Like His Own. His Wonderful Out Of Town Series Is Now Available On DVD. It Truly Captures The Moment When Great Britain Changed More In The Decade Of The 1960's Than In The Previous 400 Years.  I Am Sure That Jack Would Approve Of What I Am Trying To Achieve Regarding The Reintroduction Of Village Finger Post Signs.

Jack Hargreaves Is Clearly Warning Us Almost Beyond The Grave With These Classic Recordings That We Are Going To Really Regret The Urban Sprawl Engulfing Our Lovely English Countryside.  He Clearly Witnessed Living In Two Entirely Different & Rapidly Changing Worlds.

Just look at the quality of our work as it is second to none !

The signs have just been fitted to this 100 year old iron post that we have completely restored as new . This will have a round finial fitted above giving the village name in embossed text which is painted black onto a white background.

 This is a typical example of the nature of our West Sussex cast finger-post restoration work. 

Step 1. involves burning off all the old loose & flaking paint, 

Step 2. All the metalwork is then subjected to a power driven electric brush followed by intense electric sanding.

Step 3:  The old bolts & rotten signs are then removed.

Step 4. The castings are then dusted off & painted with 2 coats of Hammerite Smooth paint. 

 The photo above shows just how much preparation I have gone into to achieve this professional finish.  Some cowboy contractors would just paint straight onto the old dirty unprepared paintwork  which to be honest is just a complete waste of both time & money.    

This very deep base colour contrast is achieved by high quality paints & perfect second coat timing. Carrying out the work in the best weather conditions always makes for a great finish.

All the castings now look as good as when they were new  almost a century ago. We achieve that very deep base black on white by using top quality paints in only the best weather conditions possible. 

 As you can see from these photos we put the quality of our work high above profit margins & welcome the opportunity to reconstruct & refurbish these old finger - post signs to a very high standard but at a realistic & affordable price.

These construction  grade seasoned English hardwood signs are made from selected timber chosen by us. We mill all our own timber to get this outstanding professional finish. They are painted with 6 coats of Zinsser Stain Block Primer Undercoat & Sadolin Air-Breathing Gloss Black & White specialist timber paints.

 So please don't allow the cowboy contractors anywhere near these signs as they are responsible for such widespread dilapidation of the finger-post signs throughout rural England with their use of cheap materials & poor quality workmanship not fit for purpose.

These old West Sussex County Council signs are almost 100 years old but this one looks as if it was made last week due to our professional refurbishment.

Step 5: will be to fit the new construction grade, seasoned English Hardwood shaped, planed & sanded finger-arms.

We paint these with 4 coats of Zinsser Stain Block primer/undercoat followed by 4 coats of Sadolin air-breathing gloss.  The cowboy contactors have been using cheap Perspex lettering which becomes brittle after exposure to UV rays & frost resulting in breaking off within just a few years.  We use our own vandal proof non-corrosive metal lettering which is affixed with solid brass screws.  This lasts for centuries as it can be reused time & again thus saving a great expense !

We provide the highest specification finger-post signs in the UK. We put quality workmanship well before profit.

With more than 20 years experience with finger-post reconstruction & refurbishment we believe that our beautifully hand crafted products are the very best !   

 Our Classic Finger Post Signs Are As British As Big Ben So It's Time To Act To Save As Many As We Can From Being Replaced With Ugly, Intrusive, Modern Signs That Really Don't Have Any Place In Our Beautiful Countryside.

So Please Help Us Turn Back The Clock To  Reinstate The Old Finger Post Signs That Graced Our English Country Lanes & Villages Of The 1950's. It Really Is Not Too Late To Achieve Something Really Positive.

 You Can Clearly See From All Our Finger Post Sign Photos Just How Stunning They Look In Either An English Village Or Along A Narrow Country Lane Setting. I Could Not Imagine A Single Village Or Old, Character, Historic Town Anywhere In Great Britain Who Would Not Wish To Have A Classic Finger Post Sign In Place Of An Ugly, Functional, Modern, Urban Warboy Sign

Our Classic Finger Post Signs Belong In The Same Era As The Prewarboy Signs Before 1963 And Yet They Still Have A Fitting Place In The 21st Century & Rightly So As They Are Designed & Built To Last For Ever In An Age Of Just So Many Throw Away Products.

Our Lovely Old Character & Quintessential English Finger Post Signs Are Charming Reminders Of Our Past & Do Really Now Have A Major Part To Play In Restoring The Picture Post Card Image To Our Rural Villages As Tourism Is Now Our Largest Industry.  So Let Us Now Fight To Save Everyone Last One Of Them !  It Really Is Now Time To Dig In, Form Ranks & Stop The Urban Advance Of The Ever Expanding Ugly Metropolis.

 When We Have Restored These Charming Old Cast Iron Finger Post Signs They Look As Good If Not Better Than The Day When They Were Installed Over A Century Ago

The Vicker's VC10 Is A Very Fine Example Of The Very Best Of British Engineering Achievement In Aviation Development Of The 1960's.  

We Try Our Uppermost To Incorporate The Same Level Of Design Perfection & Over Engineering In All Of Our Finger Post Signs As This Great British Flying Icon Of 1960's Many Aviation Technological Developments. The VC10 Is Now 40 Years Old But Still In Service With 101 Tanker Squadron Of The Royal Air Force.  She Still Holds Two Landmark Aviation Records Regarding The Fastest Ever Crossing Of The Atlantic After The Concorde. Back In 1962 A VC10 Flew From London To New York In Just 5 Hours.   No modern Airliner Could Achieve This Today !  In 1987 An RAF VC10 Broke Another World Record In Flying Non Stop From England To The City Of Perth In Australia In Just 16 Hours, No  Modern Airliner Could Match This Performance Today.  Now That The Concorde Has Retired From Service Once Again The Super VC10 Is The Queen Of The Skies.  Flying At 42.000 ft She Can Achieve Much Faster Speeds Than Even The Text Books State That She Is Capable Of.  She Continues To Gain The Love & Respect Of Her Crews Who Call Her The Very Last Real Pilots Jet Airliner.  She Has Been Flight Tested At Speeds Over 650mph And Will Remain In Service With The RAF Possibly Beyond 2015 As She Is Built Like A Tank With Massive British Over Engineering.   I Mention This Beautiful Aircraft On Here Because I Was Right Next To The Camera Man Who Filmed This Clip At The Famous Former RAF Fighter Station At Biggin Hill In Kent.  This Experience  Proved To Me That We Should Continue To Design & Build Everything To Stand The Test Of Time & Be The Very Best In The World At What We Do In As That Is Where Our Future Lies In Such A Very Competitive Fast Technologically Developing World.

Our Armed Forces Do A Splendid Job In Defending Our Worldwide British Interests So It Really Does Fall Upon Us To Look After Old England And Prevent It From Falling Victim To The Culture Of,Tarmac, Concrete & Modern Urban Sign Clutter Which Is Currently Really Spoiling Our Historical Towns, Villages And British Countryside. You Only Have To Look At The Orange Glow In The Night Sky To See The Rapidly Expanding Urban Sprawl.  This Has To Be Where It Stops !!!!

 Jevington Airfield On The South Coast Of England Is Where These Spitfires Are Taking Off From In This Film Clip, It's Only A Short Drive From Where I Was Born & A Beautiful Part Of Sussex.  If You Ever Drive Along The Coast Road From Seaford Towards Alfriston  You Will See This Stunning Location Of The Cuckmere Valley, Beachy Head, Birling Gap & The Amazing Seven Sisters Chalk Cliffs Presenting Some Stupendous & Very Dramatic Land & Seascape Views.   I Have Always Thought That This Entire Area Would Really Benefit From The Addition Of Our Hardwood Finger Post Signs As The Whole  Area Is Now A National Park & Full Of Walkers, Cyclists  & Tourists. Back In WW2 Jevington Was An RAF Airfield & Right On The Very Front Line Being Just A Few Hundred Yards From The Cliff Edge.  You Can Still See The Runway Today On Google Earth Pointing In A South Westerly Direction Towards Cuckmere Haven.  In The 1980's This Airfield Was Brought Back To Life For The Making Of The TV Series '' A Piece Of Cake''

Chalfont St Giles In Buckinghamshire Is Evidence That Some English Villages Have Remained Well Looked After Which Is Very Reassuring. Back In 1971 IT Was Used As The Film Location For The Making Of The Feature Film ''Dad's Army''  As It Still Retained All Of Its Traditional Wooden Shop Fronts & Period Buildings. So This Is What It Looks Like Today In The Video Below.

Now Take A Look Back AT How This Beautiful Buckinghamshire Village Looked In 1971 With The Dads Army Crew In Residence.  You Can Clearly See That Not Much Has Changed Over The Decades Since The Dad's Army Boy's Were Here.  It Really Does Prove The Point That Our Historical Towns & Villages Can Be Cared For With Great Sensitivity. 

This Brand New Steam Train Tornado Is Living Proof That We As A Nation Our Still In Love With Our Heavy Engineering Capacity To Design And Build Beautiful Steam Trains LIke This.  It Was Way Back In The 50's & 1960's  When We Stopped Building Steam Locomotives Like This But Clearly There Is A Real Future For The Rebirth Of Steam Railways For Our Many Disused Rural Branch Lines That Are Now Being Reopened Or Expanded All Over The Countryside.

Old Cast Metal Crossing No Gates Sign.  

If You Can Remember This Classic Pre-Warboy Cast Road Junction Signs Complete With The Fruit Gum Type Glass Reflective Beads.   They Really  Stood Out & Looked So Good In Both Rural & Urban Locations

 Its Great To See Some Of These Old Signs Have Survived In Various Locations Around Great Britain

I Truly Believe That Any Of These Remaining Signs Should Be Given Preservation Orders & Restored To Their Original Condition. 

The 1953 Ealing Comedy Classic ''The Titfield Thunderbolt'' Really Did Capture An Unspoilt England In Full Colour.  You Can Clearly See All The Old Road Traffic Signs & Completely Non Intrusive Finger Posts Throughout The Film.  It Is This Image That We Are Trying To Recreate Wherever Possible Throughout Our Unspoilt Villages & Picture Postcard British Countryside.

When You Look At Old Films Made In The 1960's That Are Set Back In The England Of 1910 They Have Little Problem In Avoiding The Number  Anachronisms That We Would Encounter Today If We Attempted To Re Shoot This Film Below.  I Met The British Actor ''James Fox'' Just After This Film Was Completed, Again This Is The Picture Postcard View Of An Unspoilt English Countryside Void Of Any Urban Clutter.  The Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines Was Filmed At Booker In Hertfordshire As Well As Brooklands In Surrey.  If You Visit The Fascinating Aircraft & Motor Museum Here You Will Be Deeply Moved As It Is A Time Capsule Of Great British Engineering Achievements Like The Concorde & the Legendary ''Barns Wallis'' Bouncing Bomb  as These Were Both Made Here,  What Saddens Me Is How  Suburbia Has Crept Right Up To What You Can See In This 1965 Film As Green fields Complete With A Banked Racing Track As Well As A Runway. It Was Truly An Act Of Environmental & Historical Madness That This Entire Area Was Not Preserved Just As It Was.  Back In The 1920,s Brooklands Was Considered By Many As The Most Exciting Place On Earth.  Please Visit Here As The Museum Really Is One Of The Best In The UK.

 Visit Brooklands Museum's Website For Details Using The Link Below.

http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/

If you still have any of these classic Prewarboy cast metal signs in your area we would be happy to refurbish them for you, as we feel that they should be retained as part of our nations roadside heritage.

I Spotted This Old Cast Sign Along The Route Of The London To Brighton Veteran Car Run.  If You Have One Of These In Your Town Or Village Please Have It Restored.  We Specialise In Restoring These To There Original Condition.  

When I Am Working Out On These Old Finger Post Signs Sometimes A Tiger Moth Or Spitfire Will Fly Overhead & Within A Few Hours One May Be Lucky Enough To Spot A Passing Vintage Car Or Classic Motor Cycle Which Then Instantly Takes You Right Back To The 1960's, So Just For A Moment You Can Blot Out The Harsh Reality Of The Modern World, It Really Is Nectar When This Happens!

There Are A Few Things That Remind Me Of The Charm, Elegance & Clutter Free Period Of The 1960's But None More So Than Emma Peel Driving Along The Beautiful Country Lanes Of Rural Hertfordshire In Her Stunning Blue Lotus Elan.  You Can Even See The Old Wooden Finger Post Signs In The Background.  This Was Very Early Colour Television Which Captured The Wind Of Change Period Of 1967 But Portrayed A Charming Unspoilt English Countryside. John Steed's Bentley For Example Was Already A Vintage Car & Bowler Hats Were No Longer Vogue But This Was A Romantic View Of A Chocolate  Box Image That Belonged Far More To The Pre-War Period Of The 1930's.  

I believe that English people today now really regretting the closure of our country branch line railway stations as so many are now are being reopened more than 25 years after they were close. This is a very positive step towards opening up the countryside without spoiling with the clutter of traffic.

Tunbridge Wells West is not far from where I live so I am delighted at this development & looking forward to the opening of the new link between Sheffield Park Station & East Grinstead.

We produce these railway cast signs for Victorian  steam railway stations

When an attractive  period finger post sign is required we can produce the very best design that will last for all time

These old cast signs should be restored as they really do blend in so well in our rural countryside

We produce these Southern Railways Toilet Signs For Period Railway Stations

This is the village post office in Albury in the beautiful Mole Valley in Surrey. It reflects an England of the past.  

England has changed more since the mid 1960's than over the previous 400 years but it is now time to save what we can of its old World charm & elegance of the golden age. 

 A 20th Century Icon of Great Design & Engineering

 I live in the hope of seeing this beautiful aircraft return to the skies one day in the future just as the Avro Vulcan has done

 I believe in using the very best space age materials combined with classic British over engineering to achieve the production of the highest specification hand crafted finger post signs in Europe. I would like to make a special tribute here to the great design team & very gifted engineers who created the Concorde as I respect the fact that the quality of  engineering came well before any financial concerns or development costs. This beautiful aircraft set the bench mark for the rest of the aviation world to follow. It was as  technologically advanced as the Saturn 5 Apollo 11 space rocket, during early test fights it was even rolled just like a military jet fighter.  I sat in a Concorde last week at Brooklands Aviation where much of this aircraft was built & it made me feel so very proud of what can be achieved by a great team effort of creative minds & highly skilled craftsmen.

We can't allow our Concords to live out their days as just museum exhibits as they really do deserve the right to fly again together with the pride & support of the British people

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