Cork is jam packed with hidden history if you know where to look.

In fact, even some of our most nondescript laneways are home to lovely little pieces of the past that remain perfectly intact today.

And if you’ve ever wondered what these rather odd stone and metal shapes were (and why they appear on corners and smaller streets) the knowledgeable folk at St Peter’s have just revealed the story behind them.

Known as ‘jostle stones’, these pieces of street furniture stand testament to a time when horses and carts trundled through the city.

“The one pictured here is an iron version (you’ll find stone ones in Cork too) and it’s purpose was to guide cart wheels down laneways and avoid damage to corner buildings as carts and traps sped by.” they explain.

“This one was built by the famous iron foundry of Robert Merrick of Parnell Place. You’ll find this fantastic piece of street furniture on South Main Street. The sound of cart wheels down Cork streets is long gone, with the last year of horse and cart transport in the city said to be 1967.”

Catch more fascinating #storiesfromstpeters over on their Facebook feed.