Suffolk Magpie pub sign will be back 'as soon as possible'

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Magpie sign
Image caption,

The Magpie sign at Little Stonham straddled the A140, which is the main route between Ipswich and Norwich

A parish council said it was hoped the village's landmark pub sign, noticed by thousands of drivers a day, would be back "as soon as possible".

The Grade II listed Magpie sign over the A140 at Little Stonham in Suffolk was taken down after it was struck by a vehicle in July.

It sat on a wooden gantry that crossed the road in front of the pub.

Ivan Richardson, from Stonham Parish Council, said the village had "lost its character" without it.

A vehicle hit the metal sign on 6 July, causing a crack in one of the upright posts.

The road was closed while a crane was used to take it down.

Mr Richardson, council vice chairman, said it could cost more than £10,000 to reinstate the sign that was being stored "safely" in the meantime.

Image caption,

A crane was used to take down the damaged sign which straddles the main A-road between Ipswich and Norwich

He said the parish council was organising some fundraising, as were other people in the village.

"The village has lost its character; people who travel on the A140 on a daily basis have said to us 'where has it gone? When is it coming back?', so I think it's important as an historic landmark that we get it back up again as soon as possible," he said.

Image caption,

The sign was struck by a vehicle on 6 July, causing a crack in one of its upright posts

The sign, which gained listed status in 1987, is thought to originate from the 17th or 18th Century, but was largely renewed in the 20th Century.

It was a well-known landmark for people travelling on the main road between Ipswich and Norwich.

Mr Richardson said the pub was one of five establishments in the UK that still had a gibbet-style sign outside it, and one of just two that had a freestanding one.

The entry on the Historic England listings website, external said it was "traditionally believed to have originally been used as a gibbet for hanging highwaymen".

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