Heavy, weathered, and brimming with character, this cast iron road sign once spelled out a bureaucratic truth with blunt efficiency: UNADOPTED. Originating in England and dating to the 1890s, the sign references roads that fell outside the care of local authorities—private thoroughfares not “maintained at public expense” under what is now echoed in the UK Highways Act of 1980. In practice, it meant the street was left to its own devices, upkeep falling to residents rather than the municipality. The sign itself is embossed in bold black letters, with flaking paint, and layers of history. These signs would have been mounted beneath street name signs.
Heavy, weathered, and brimming with character, this cast iron road sign once spelled out a bureaucratic truth with blunt efficiency: UNADOPTED. Originating in England and dating to the 1890s, the sign references roads that fell outside the care of local authorities—private thoroughfares not “maintained at public expense” under what is now echoed in the UK Highways Act of 1980. In practice, it meant the street was left to its own devices, upkeep falling to residents rather than the municipality. The sign itself is embossed in bold black letters, with flaking paint, and layers of history. These signs would have been mounted beneath street name signs.
