Suffolk's A140 Magpie pub sign fundraising bid starts

Matt Sealby, Stonham Parva Parish Council chairman, said it was hoped £10,000 could be raised through crowdfunding

A village has started a £10,000 crowdfunding drive to get its landmark road-straddling pub sign reinstalled after it was struck by a vehicle.

The Grade II listed Magpie sign, over the A140 at Little Stonham in Suffolk, was hit in July 2021.

It was well-known to motorists passing under the wooden gantry when travelling on the main road between Ipswich and Norwich.

Stonham Parva Parish Council said it would cost up to £30,000 to replace.

It said it was hoping to raise the initial £10,000 through an online fundraising page.

The Magpie pub's sign at Little Stonham, Suffolk, was removed after it was struck in July 2021

Parish council chairman Matt Sealby said they needed support from local people and businesses.

"The sign has been here for hundreds of years and it's very sad to see it now - just the remaining stumps - and we're trying as hard as we can to get it back," he said.

"We do believe that it being such a historic landmark, people do want to see it."

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The sign was taken down after it was struck by a vehicle on 6 July 2021.

One of its upright posts was cracked as a result of the collision.

All that remains of the sign is the stumps, while the pub has to make do with a hanging sign on its frontage

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

The Magpie gantry sign, before the collision that led to its removal

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