A5 road (Great Britain)
| A5 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:A5 road map.png | ||||
| A5 Dual Carriageway.jpg A5 leaving Shrewsbury, Shropshire | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by National Highways (England) and North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent | ||||
| Length | 243.0 mi[1][2][3][4][5] (391.1 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southeast end | Marble Arch, City of Westminster 51°30′48″N 0°09′37″W / 51.5133°N 0.1603°W | |||
| Northwest end | Port of Holyhead 53°18′23″N 4°37′47″W / 53.3063°N 4.6298°W | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Primary destinations | London, St Albans, Milton Keynes, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Cannock, Telford, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Llangollen, Betws-y-Coed, Bangor, Holyhead | |||
| Road network | ||||
| ||||
The A5, the London-Holyhead trunk road, is a major road in England and Wales. It runs for about 243 miles (391 km) from London to the Irish Sea at the ferry port of Holyhead. In many parts the route follows that of the Roman Iter II route which later took the Anglo-Saxon name Watling Street.
History
Roman road
The section of the A5 between London and Shrewsbury is roughly contiguous with one of the principal Roman roads in Britain: that between Londinium (modern-day London) and Deva (modern-day Chester), which diverges from the present-day A5 corridor at Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum) near Shrewsbury.
Telford's Holyhead Road
| Holyhead Roads Act 1815 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg | |
| Long title | An act for granting to His Majesty the Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, to be issued and applied towards repairing Roads between London and Holyhead, by Chester, and between London and Bangor, by Shrewsbury. |
| Citation | 55 Geo. 3. c. 152 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 July 1815 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
Status: Repealed | |
.svg){kind=link}
| Roads Between London and Holyhead Act 1819 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg | |
| Long title | An Act to amend an Act passed in the Fifty fifth Year of His present Majesty,] for granting to His Majesty the Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds towards repairing Roads between London and Holyhead by Chester, and between London and Bangor by Shrewsbury; and for giving additional Powers to the Commissioners therein named, to build a Bridge over the Menai Straits, and to make a new Road from Bangor Ferry to Holyhead, in the County of Anglesea. |
| Citation | 59 Geo. 3. c. 48 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 July 1819 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
.svg){kind=link}
| Holyhead Road Act 1836 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg | |
| Long title | An Act for further improving the Road between London and Holyhead, by Coventry, Birmingham, and Shrewsbury. |
| Citation | 6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 35 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Holyhead Road Relief Act 1861 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg | |
| Long title | An Act to relieve certain Trusts on the Holyhead Road from Debts. |
| Citation | 24 & 25 Vict. c. 28 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 July 1861 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
Status: Repealed | |
.svg){kind=link}
The Act of Union 1800, which unified Great Britain and Ireland, gave rise to a need to improve communication links between London and Dublin. A parliamentary committee led to an act of Parliament, the Holyhead Roads Act 1815 (55 Geo. 3. c. 152) that authorised the purchase of existing turnpike road interests and, where necessary, the construction of new road, to complete the route between the two capitals. This made it the first major civilian state-funded road building project in Britain since Roman times. Responsibility for establishing the new route was awarded to the famous engineer, Thomas Telford. Through England, the road largely took over existing turnpike roads and mainly following the route of the Anglo-Saxon Wæcelinga Stræt (Watling Street), much of which had been historically the Roman road Iter II. However between Weedon, Northamptonshire and Oakengates, Telford's Holyhead Road eschews the Watling Street corridor, picking up instead the major cities of Coventry, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton;[6] this routing being far more useful for communications. From Shrewsbury and through Wales, Telford's work was more extensive. In places he followed existing roads, but he also built new links, including the Menai Suspension Bridge to connect the mainland with Anglesey and the Stanley Embankment to Holy Island. Telford's road was complete with the opening of the Menai Suspension Bridge in 1826, which had been authorised by the Roads Between London and Holyhead Act 1819 (59 Geo. 3. c. 48).
Notable features of Telford's road
The road was designed to allow stagecoaches and the mail coach to carry post between London and Holyhead, and thence by mailboat to Ireland. Therefore, throughout its length the gradient never exceeds 1:17 (5.9%). The route through Wales retains many of the original features of Telford's road and has, since 1995, been recognised as a historic route worthy of preservation. An 18-month survey by Cadw in 1998–2000 revealed that about 40% of the original road and its ancillary features survives under the modern A5, much more than previously thought.[7] These features include the following:
- many surviving and distinctive toll houses
- 'depots' along the route, being roadside alcoves to store grit and materials
- distinctive milestones at each mile – many originals having survived and been restored, others now replaced by replicas
- distinctive gates in a 'sunburst' design, a few of which have survived
- a weighbridge at Lon Isaf, between Bangor and Bethesda
Tŷ Nant cutting
In 1997, a section of bends on Telford's road between Tŷ Nant and Dinmael was by-passed by a modern cutting. However, investigation in 2006 revealed that the rock face in the cutting had become unstable, and the A5 was closed from the end of May 2006.[8] Traffic was diverted onto the old A5 route, on a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) stretch known as the Glyn Bends, while the rock face was made safe. This involved the removal of 230,000 tonnes of rock and alluvial deposits. In July 2007, the A5 through the reconstructed cutting was reopened.[9]
Route
London–Milton Keynes
Starting at Marble Arch in London, the A5 runs northwest on the Edgware Road through Kilburn and Cricklewood. The A5 number disappears at the A41 near Edgware but the original road continues as the A5183 through Elstree, Radlett, St Albans, Redbourn and Dunstable. A few miles north of Dunstable, the A5 regains its identity at the M1 motorway junction 11A, rejoining the old Roman Road and passing through Hockliffe before becoming a dual carriageway as it approaches Milton Keynes.
Milton Keynes–Hinckley
On entering the City of Milton Keynes, the road becomes an (almost) fully grade-separated dual carriageway and passes through Milton Keynes. This stretch was opened in 1980, replacing the original route along Watling Street. From just north of the city, after entering Northamptonshire, the road resumes as a single carriageway that continues through Towcester where it crosses the A43 dual carriageway just north of the town. The road accompanies the Grand Union Canal and the M1 motorway through the Watford Gap. It then bridges the M45 motorway and continues to Kilsby. As it passes close to Rugby, the road is diverted slightly around the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal and then passes the remains of the Rugby Radio Station. The next phase north-west-bound takes it under the M6 motorway and passing close to Lutterworth. Along this stretch, the road frequently alternates between being a single and a dual carriageway. After meeting the M69 motorway at a roundabout, with the motorway passing above, the A5 runs between Nuneaton and Hinckley.
Hinckley–Shrewsbury
After this section the road continues to run through the northern fringes of Nuneaton and then on to Tamworth. At Tamworth, the road follows a more recent dual carriageway bypass, permitting the original alignment to become a local road in the town. From this point the road is a grade separated dual carriageway up until its junction with the A38 and M6 toll. After this junction it passes just to the south of Cannock and then, after its final junction with the A41, enters Telford, where it loses its identity and route-shares with the M54 motorway from junction 5. At junction 7 the motorway ends and the A5 continues to Shrewsbury as dual carriageway, on its new alignment. (The original route through Telford, and then via Atcham to Shrewsbury, is unclassified through Oakengates and as the B5061 through Wellington and the B4380 through Atcham). Continuing from the end of the M54, the route runs around Shrewsbury as the town's southern bypass (still as dual carriageway), combining for a stretch with the A49. (The route once ran through the town, but was first bypassed in the 1930s, then by-passed again in the early 1990s).
Shrewsbury–Bangor
After Shrewsbury, the A5 continues as single-carriageway except for the Nesscliffe bypass. It then multiplexes with the major South Wales – North Wales road A483 and forms part of the Oswestry bypass, running to the east of that town. Shortly after, it crosses the River Ceiriog and enters Wales to continue from Chirk. The A5 continues through to Snowdonia via Llangollen, Corwen, Capel Curig and through the centre of Bangor.
Bangor–Holyhead
From Bangor the road crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge to Anglesey and then runs roughly parallel to the A55 expressway to the outskirts of the village of Valley where the A5 continues onto the Stanley Embankment. The A5 from Valley to Holyhead is named London Road running through to the Port of Holyhead. The A5 traditionally terminated at Admiralty Arch (1822–24) on Salt Island, which was designed by Thomas Harrison to commemorate a visit by King George IV in 1821 en route to Ireland and marks the zenith of Irish Mail coach operations. The A5 currently terminates at the junction of the A55 near the Port of Holyhead.
Junction list
First segment
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater London | Westminster | 0.0 | 0.0 | File:UK road A402.svgFile:UK road A3.svgFile:UK road A4.svg A402 west (Bayswater Road) / Park Lane (A4202 south) / Oxford Street (A40 east) to A3 / A4 – Westminster, Notting Hill Gate | South-eastern terminus; south-eastern terminus of A40 concurrency; northern terminus of A4202; eastern terminus of A402 |
| 0.08 | 0.13 | Wigmore Street (A5204 east) / Seymour Street | No access from A5 to A5204; western terminus of A5204 | ||
| 0.5 | 0.80 | Old Marylebone Road (A501 east) / Sussex Gardens (A4209 south-west) | No access from A5 to A501/A4209, from A501 to A5 north, or from A4209 to A5 south; north-eastern terminus of A4209 | ||
| 0.6 | 0.97 | File:UK road A40.svg Chapel Street to A40 | South-east access only | ||
| File:UK road A40.svg Harrow Road (A404 west) to A40 – Oxford, Wembley, Ealing, Paddington | North-west access only; virtual north-western terminus of A40 concurrency; eastern terminus of A404 | ||||
| File:UK road A400.svgFile:UK road A1.svg Ring Road east to A400 / A1 – The City, Euston, King's Cross | South-east access only | ||||
| 1.2 | 1.9 | File:UK-Motorway-M1.svgFile:UK road A41.svg St. John's Wood Road (A5205 north-east) to M1 / A41 – The North, Brent Cross, St. John's Wood | Destinations signed north-west only; south-western terminus of A5205 | ||
| Brent | 2.6 | 4.2 | Willesden Lane (A4003 north-west) – Willesden, Neasden | Destinations signed north-west only; south-eastern terminus of A4003 | |
| Barnet—Brent borough boundary | 3.8 | 6.1 | File:UK road A407.svgFile:UK road A598.svg A407 (Cricklewood Lane / Chichele Road) to A598 – Golders Green, Willesden Green, Harlesden | Information signed north-west only | |
| 4.9– 5.3 | 7.9– 8.5 | File:UK road A406.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M1.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M25.svg A406 (North Circular Road) to M1 / M25 – Wembley, Brent Cross | To M25 south-east only | ||
| Barnet | 5.7 | 9.2 | Herbert Road (A504 east) | Western terminus of A504 | |
| Barnet―Brent borough boundary | 6.2 | 10.0 | File:UK road A4006.svg A4006 west (Kingsbury Road) – Kingsbury, Kenton, Harrow | Harrow signed north-west only; eastern terminus of A4006 | |
| 6.8 | 10.9 | File:UK road A41.svg Colindeep Lane (A5150 east) to A41 – Hendon Central | Western terminus of A5150 | ||
| Barnet―Harrow borough boundary | 8.2 | 13.2 | File:UK road A5100.svg Deansbrook Road (A5109 east) / Camrose Avenue to A5100 – Mill Hill, Queensbury | Western terminus of A5109 | |
| 8.5 | 13.7 | File:UK road A5100.svg A5100 east (Station Road) / Camrose Avenue (B461) – Mill Hill | Information signed north-west only; western terminus of A5100 | ||
| 9.4 | 15.1 | File:UK road A410.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M1.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M25.svgFile:UK road A41.svgFile:UK road A1.svgFile:UK road A409.svgFile:UK road A4006.svg A410 (Spur Road / London Road) to M1 / M25 / A41 / A1 / A409 / A4006 – Aylesbury, Watford, Mill Hill, Harrow, Wealdstone, Stanmore, Brent Cross | Aylesbury signed north-west only, Brent Cross south-east only | ||
| Greater London― Hertfordshire boundary | London Borough of Barnet—Harrow— Elstree boundary | 10.7 | 17.2 | File:UK road A41.svgFile:UK road A5183.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M1.svgFile:UK-Motorway-M25.svg A41 (North Western By-Pass) / A5183 (Elstree Hill South) to M1 / M25 – Central London, Brent Cross, Aylesbury, Watford, Elstree | North-western terminus of southern segment; southern terminus of A5183 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Second segment
Road safety
In June 2008, a 9.9-mile (16 km) stretch of the A5 between Daventry and Rugby was named as the most dangerous road in the East Midlands.[10] This single carriageway stretch had 15 fatal and serious injury collisions between 2004 and 2006, and was rated as 'red'—the second highest risk band—in the EuroRAP report published by the Road Safety Foundation.
Gallery
-
Marble Arch, London
– start of the A5 -
A5 at Milton Keynes looking north at its junction with the A509
-
The A5 as it traverses rural Shropshire near Wellington on a new alignment to that of the original Thomas Telford route
-
Sign of Thomas Telford's historic route
-
The A5 crosses the Menai Strait using the Menai Suspension Bridge
-
Admiralty Arch, Holyhead – end of the A5
See also
References
- Quartermaine, Jamie; Trinder, Barrie Stuart; Turner, R. C. (2003). Thomas Telford's Holyhead Road: The A5 in North Wales. York: Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-34-6.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Directions from Charterhouse St, London EC1N 8AA, UK to 51.487462, -0.256987 to Ellesmere Rd, Chiswick, London, UK to Chiswick, London, UK to 564 Great West Rd, Hounslow TW5 0TH, UK to 51.481919, -0.471081 to Wellington St, Slough, UK to 51.519721, -0.633138 to 39 Bath Rd, Maidenhead SL6 4RH, UK" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Chalton Roundabout, Luton LU4 9TX, UK to A5, Towcester NN12 7QG, UK to Kilsby, UK to 4-59 A5, Dordon, Tamworth, UK to A5, Norton Canes, Cannock WS11 9XG, UK to A5, Wheaton Aston, Stafford, UK" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "A5, Wheaton Aston, Stafford, UK to Priorslee, Telford, UK to Llanllechid, United Kingdom" (Map). Google Maps. Google Maps. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Llanllechid, United Kingdom to 53.231050, -4.113263 to Antelope Inn, Bangor LL57 2HZ, United Kingdom" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "A5, Menai Bridge LL59 5DU, UK to Lon Tyddyn Mawr, Gaerwen LL60 6LB, United Kingdom to Trewalchmai, Holyhead, UK to 16 Rhenysgol, Caergeiliog, Holyhead LL65 3PJ, UK to Holyhead, United Kingdom to THE BOSTON, Holyhead LL65 2NE, United Kingdom" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ "Holyhead Road". sabre-roads.org.[self-published source]
- ↑ "Telford highway to Holyhead found intact under the A5". The Independent. London. 5 August 2000.
- ↑ "Closure of A5 Trunk Road Between Ty Nant And Dinmael" (Press release). Archived from the original on 24 May 2011.
- ↑ "A5 at Ty Nant reopens ahead of schedule".[full citation needed]
- ↑ "Highest risk road sections in each UK Government Office Region (2004–2006)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2012.
External links
File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to A5 road (Great Britain) at Wikimedia Commons
- Society for All British Road Enthusiasts entry for the A5 Archived 27 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Road to Nowhere: A5
- Nesscliffe bypass opened 21 March 2003.
- Milestonesweb entry
- EuroRAP GB Tracking Survey Results 2008
- Road Safety Foundation
- 1815–1830 reports of Select Committees on roads to Holyhead digitised by Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland
- Infobox road instances in the United Kingdom
- Roads in England
- Roads in Anglesey
- Streets in the London Borough of Barnet
- Transport in Bedfordshire
- Streets in the London Borough of Brent
- Transport in Buckinghamshire
- Streets in the London Borough of Camden
- Roads in Denbighshire
- Streets in the London Borough of Harrow
- Transport in Leicestershire
- Roads in Shropshire
- Transport in Staffordshire
- Roads in Warwickshire
- Streets in the City of Westminster
- Roads in Milton Keynes
- Transport in Walsall
- Works of Thomas Telford
- Roads in Gwynedd