In the attached photo there is a type of fence that you often see on country roads, as a way of preventing accidents by allowing road users to see other vehicles approaching round a bend which might otherwise have been hidden from view by high hedges. This particular one has had every fifth upright painted black, perhaps to aid conspicuity on approach. The inward curve at the top of the fence is to help prevent livestock from clambering over.
I remember reading a long time ago that these were introduced as a road safety measure by then transport minister and famous beacon-botherer Leslie Hore-Belisha, at a time when cars were becoming faster and more commonplace resulting in more crashes on county lanes as Mr Toad types barrelled around the countryside in their Bentleys.
But I can't find any evidence to support my theory that these are "Belisha Fences" - can anyone more knowledgable than me confirm or refute my claim?
Edit: here is another excellent example. The fence is definitely replacing the hedge on the corner of the bend in the road. https://goo.gl/maps/LJU8dNFrbGjXgS1z5
potatan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 13:31
In the attached photo there is a type of fence that you often see on country roads, as a way of preventing accidents by allowing road users to see other vehicles approaching round a bend which might otherwise have been hidden from view by high hedges. This particular one has had every fifth upright painted black, perhaps to aid conspicuity on approach. The inward curve at the top of the fence is to help prevent livestock from clambering over.
I remember reading a long time ago that these were introduced as a road safety measure by then transport minister and famous beacon-botherer Leslie Hore-Belisha, at a time when cars were becoming faster and more commonplace resulting in more crashes on county lanes as Mr Toad types barrelled around the countryside in their Bentleys.
But I can't find any evidence to support my theory that these are "Belisha Fences" - can anyone more knowledgable than me confirm or refute my claim?
I always knew these as "Cheshire Railings", and Wikipedia agrees, though has no real information on them. I've found quite a few websites quoting "the 1920s" and many quoting "1929" as the first use of these railings, though nothing to back up this date. But that's five years too early for Leslie Hore-Belisha, who didn't become transport minister until 1934.
They're not exclusive to Cheshire, though seem far more common there than other areas.
Cheshire sounds about right, I was seeing them all around Jodrell BAnk when I visited earlier this year, though I've definitely seen some in Gloucestershire and nearby counties. Thanks for the link
