‘Milestone Compass’

Coralie Turpin - 2026 - Cast Iron

Cast iron milestones along the road side showing us how many miles to London or York etc. is a fascinating thing to see as it reminds us about our history and how things have changed in the way we navigate the country.

Research into the history of Parson Cross in Sheffield provided a tale of a pilgrim meeting a stranger who offered temptation in the form of a horseback taxi service leading to the pilgrim’s recognition of the devil in this action and increased resolve in their quest.

Having the surname ‘Turpin’ Coralie also looked at the history of Dick Turpin who would have used such milestone’s to navigate. Dick had no direct decendants so no connection there but interesting to think who has used the routes in question.

From a visual art perspective Coralie explored this concept looking at milestones in our lives and physical routes within a social and employment context.

Three words : Family, Journey and Future are added to the milestone shapes which are arranged in a compass like array or star like form.

Geological layering on the left of the piece signal a connection with deep time and layering of history on the site.

Working in 3 local schools and offering on line input from the public Coralie gathered information around hopes and dreams for the future as well as links to past explorations beyond the local area. A rich flow of imagery was created by the schools which has been applied to some surfaces of the piece which is now cast in iron and ready to install at the end of September.