Whether small and ornate or big and bold, village signs often give an intriguing hint of the history or culture of a place.

And while for many people they are simply a brief point of curiosity during a car journey, for one Norfolk man they proved fascinating enough for him to decide to photograph and research more than 400 of them.

Now more than 15 months and 5,000 miles on, Mike Weatherstone has published a book of his adventure entitled Norfolk - A History Through Its Village Signs.

'Village signs are one of those things that nobody really thinks about but the minute you mention them they are interested,' he said.

Mike was inspired to complete, what was by his own admission, an 'epic task', after being given a series of books by his neighbour.

'Village Signs in Norfolk is a set of three books written by Frances Proctor and Philippa Miller in the late 1970s. They feature about 200 signs with black and white photographs,' said Mike, who lives in Fundenhall, near Wymondham.

'I found them fascinating and I was inspired to do an updated version as a lot of signs were not in existence when they did their books and also the pictures were not in colour.'

It is thought that the village sign originated in Norfolk on the Sandringham estate in the early 20th century and eventually spread to other parts of the country.

Events, including the Queen's Coronation in 1953, the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana in 1981 and the Millennium, are often celebrated with the erection of a sign.

But how many can you identify correctly? Try our picture quiz below. Loading...