Traditional village signs returned to former glory

Traditional black and white direction signs and village nameplates in North Yorkshire have been given a revamp thanks to volunteers.

About 69 village nameplates - many dating back to the first half of the 20th Century - have been restored in areas located around what is known as the Howardian Hills National Landscape.

The project was funded by members of the Howardian Hills Partnership after they noticed many of the signs had corrosion, been bent or faded.

Manager Ellie Hook said of the old-style signs: “If they weren’t there, we would really miss them."

"The signs make a big contribution to a place," she added.

Ms Hook said the project had been careful to go back to the original designs of the signs when replacement was necessary.

That meant using cast iron to make the signs and including reflective studs in the embossed lettering, she said.

"Retaining local distinctiveness is very much part of our management plan for the Howardian Hills," Ms Hook said.

"It’s also a community effort, working with volunteers and local parish councils.”

Ms Hook said the volunteers had discovered the poor state of many signs after they visited a number of villages in North Yorkshire, including Hovingham, Stonegrave and Sproxton.

They recorded 40 old-style direction signs and 103 nameplates in need of repair.

Any signs which could not be mended were replaced with new ones made by craft workers in Staithes.

The Howardian Hills National Landscape area covers 70 square miles (204 sq km) of the North Yorkshire countryside, including the North York Moors National Park, the Yorkshire Wolds and the Vale of York.

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