CPRE Northumberland launches traditional signpost Restoration Training Course for 2026
A rare opportunity to learn the endangered craft of traditional signpost restoration is coming to Northumberland in 2026 with six volunteers being sought to preserve a dying art.
The opportunity to learn the essential skills has come about thanks to an initiative by CPRE, the countryside charity’s Northumberland branch and Cumbria-based expert David Gosling of Signpost Restoration Ltd.
With funding secured from CPRE’s Centenary Grant programme, the course will run across three weekends — May, July, and September — in the Morpeth area. It will offer hands-on roadside restoration training alongside classroom-based learning, focusing on two historic signposts in need of full restoration.
David Gosling, one of the last remaining specialists in this field, will lead the course. Now nearing retirement at 75, Gosling has spent decades restoring cast-iron signposts across northern England. Despite efforts, he has been unable to find an apprentice to pass the baton on to — prompting concern that this heritage skill may soon be lost.
Annie Lloyd, branch coordinator of CPRE Northumberland branch and a longstanding member of the Milestone Society, initiated the project after following Gosling’s work online.
“I admire David’s craftsmanship and when CPRE announced funding for legacy projects in their centenary year, I knew this was our chance to preserve a skill that’s vital to our rural heritage,” she said.
“I’d followed David’s work for years on social media – his posts,(and his posts!), were always of such high quality, and they featured places I knew and loved, so when CPRE announced its Centenary Grants across the country, I thought: could we use this opportunity to preserve the skill itself?”
A bike ride through the Northumbrian countryside, past neglected signposts, sealed the idea. Annie
contacted David last May, and the response was immediate and enthusiastic. A successful bid to CPRE
national followed, and the project was awarded £5,000 to bring the vision to life.
Annie noted it seemed fitting that the CPRE Centenary Grant would be used to restore fingerposts that are themselves also around 100 years old!
The course will train around six participants from across the northern region, equipping them with the practical skills, contacts, and business knowledge to take on council contracts and community restoration requests. Priority will be given to applicants who wish to pursue the work professionally. At least one bursary will be available, and participants will be expected to arrange their own transport and accommodation.
Annie reflected: “In the quiet lanes of northern England, a piece of our rural heritage is quietly rusting away.
“Traditional cast-iron signposts — once a proud fixture of the countryside — are increasingly
neglected, and the skills required to restore them are vanishing with the retirement of the few
remaining experts.
“So this is more than a training course, it’s a legacy project – a chance to ensure that our wayside
heritage doesn’t fade into memory, but continues to guide and inspire future generations.
“And if you know someone who might be the next great Signpost Restorer — tell them to keep an eye out. The future of our signposts may depend on it!”
David will lead the training, supported by Annie, with up to six trainees taking part in a mix of roadside restoration and classroom-based learning, focusing on two neglected local signposts in need of full restoration.
Applications are open until February 2026 and anyone who wants more details on applying should contact Annie Lloyd via email on annie.CPRE@gmail.com.
Priority will be given to those who wish to pursue the work seriously.
