not a firemark they tended to have logos or emblems with an identifying insurance company, because the fire appliances would not respond to a fireplate of a company not sponsoring that appliance. This was the reason for their distinctiveness. And they were bigger and higher up. And traditionally made of thinner metal.

This could not have been a parish boundary because all three were within 400 M of the church which is slap bang in the centre of Painswick. I know where the boundaries are from OS/Streetmap.

Maybe it was indicating something in the road, and in one case I noticed a stop cock in the pavement (didn't register the other 2) but how is S or J related to a waterworks company? Severn Trent WW didn't exist when these were fitted to walls. Trust me - their age is maybe 50 - 100 .

I did come across a different plate elsewhere that said Junction Indicator, size - about the same.

<PUN ALERT> My wild crap idea (when I was in the bathroom amazingly) was "Sewage Junction", but then why not at every house. 2 were in the middle of the length of the street with no side roads. Not impssible but.........