What if … there was a tactile interpretation board by Brill Windmill?

Many years ago The Brill Society mooted the idea of a topograph by the windmill. It never came to pass - but no matter; now we could do so much better!

How about a wooden sign - at accessible height, beautifully worked, robust and sustainable - that interpreted things near and far for everyone: the lumps and bumps of Brill Common, the hawthorn trees and village houses, the windmill (of course!), Hartwell’s Barn, the shape of Muswell Hill, the sinuous curves of the M40, the dark mass of Bernwode Forest, the dreaming spires of Oxford (and towers of the John Radcliffe Hospital), the misty Cotswold horizon? How wonderful would that be?

Expensive, yes - but beautiful and long-lasting. Think about it next time you’re out by the windmill.

(The picture is of a blind gentleman using a tactile board produced by Shelley Signs (website opens in new tab), based in Shropshire.)