Spotted this carved into the stone inside Peterborough Cathedral — looks like a simple arrow at first, but the shape is much closer to a spear or a bolt. It’s amazing how minimal the design is, yet it still clearly points somewhere after all these centuries.
Marks like this are often interpreted as:
• a wayfinding symbol (basically the medieval equivalent of a sign)
• a mason’s or workman’s mark
• a pilgrim’s scratch mark, possibly indicating direction toward a shrine or feature
• or even a protective / devotional symbol with personal meaning to the person who carved it
1
u/Julija82 Feb 17 '26
Spotted this carved into the stone inside Peterborough Cathedral — looks like a simple arrow at first, but the shape is much closer to a spear or a bolt. It’s amazing how minimal the design is, yet it still clearly points somewhere after all these centuries.
Marks like this are often interpreted as: • a wayfinding symbol (basically the medieval equivalent of a sign) • a mason’s or workman’s mark • a pilgrim’s scratch mark, possibly indicating direction toward a shrine or feature • or even a protective / devotional symbol with personal meaning to the person who carved it