Road Signs: No. 4 (Shire Library) - Tapa blanda

Road signs have never attracted the interest that railway signs have, perhaps because they are so commonplace. There have been direction signs ever since man began to travel, and boundary signs too, have a long history. Warning signs, however, did not become necessary until cycling and motoring became established at the end of the nineteenth century. Since then the British government has sought to regulate all aspects of traffic signage and signs are often altered to keep abreast of developments, but neverthless signs from bygone days can still be observed along Britain's highways today.

Stuart Hands interest in boundary markers and finger posts started early in life and he has photographed many of these fast disappearing artefacts while travelling throughout Britain in the course of his work and thus gained considerable expertise in traffic signs. In 1988 he joined the Devon Roads Museum Project Committee and was able to extend his knowledge of road signs. He collected traffic signs for eventual display and these can now be seen at Dingles Steam Village at Lifton in Devon.