Boundary post, London & North Western Railway, cast iron, finger-shaped, inscribed "L & N W Ry Co Boundary Post", about 1860 to 1920.

London & North Western Railway cast iron boundary post, dating from about 1860 to 1920.

Boundary markers like this were used to clearly identify the limits of railway land and to distinguish them from adjacent property. They were typically used where it was difficult to install a fence or hedge, where there was a risk of encroachment by other landowners, or where there had been a dispute over land ownership. They also delineated one railway company’s territory from another’s, for instance to make it clear who was responsible for maintaining a particular stretch of line.

The London & North Western Railway was formed in 1846 by the amalgamation of three major railway companies. Its network linked London to Birmingham, Cheshire, Liverpool and Manchester and later Wales and Ireland, with connections to Scotland on the West Coast Main Line. In 1923 the LNWR was absorbed into the London, Midland & Scottish Railway.

The boundary marker is a practical design in cast iron and was probably made in the foundry at the London & North Western Railway’s Crewe works in the late nineteenth century. The inscription on the front explains its function and reads "L & N W Ry Co Boundary Post". The finger-shaped post has a very long base that was buried deep in the ground, to discourage any disgruntled landowners from surreptitiously digging it up and moving it.