A422 road
Encyclopedia
The A422 is an "A" road for east-west journeys in south central England
, connecting the county towns of Bedford
and Worcester
by way of Milton Keynes
, Buckingham
, Banbury
and Stratford-upon-Avon
. For most of its length, is a narrow single carriageway.
on the outskirts of Bedford, where it branches off the A428
. Its route then crosses into the Borough of Milton Keynes (and Buckinghamshire
). It briefly merges with the A509
to bypass Newport Pagnell
. Entering Milton Keynes itself, it crosses the northern part of the city as a dual carriageway known locally as the H3 Monks Way. It has followed these routes since they were developed in the 1970s as part of the grid road system in Milton Keynes
.
Upon meeting the A5 the A422 follows its route for 3 miles (4.8 km) before crossing briefly into Northamptonshire
and regaining its identity (and single carriageway status).It then bypasses Deanshanger
, goes through the centre of Buckingham, around Brackley
in Northamptonshire, into Oxfordshire
, just before crossing the M40
at Junction 11 and into Banbury
. From the A422/B4525 roundabout, on the western edge of Middleton Cheney, Banbury
(east of Junction 11), the Road is dualled until it meets the A423 and resumes as a single carriageway. From there to Stratford upon Avon, it is a minor road crossing into Warwickshire
at the Battle of Edgehill
site, from there it declines steeply down the Sunrising Hill escarpment
and then across the Fosse Way
.
From the western side of Stratford-upon-Avon
the road becomes the A46
until the junction of the A435
trunk road at Oversley on the outskirts of the historic market town of Alcester
. At that roundabout junction the A422 heads briefly north to cross the River Arrow before heading west into the village of Arrow. In the village the road takes a right hand turn at the old Toll House, heading for the border with Worcestershire and passing through the village of Inkberrow
, said to be the village that was the inspiration for Ambridge, the centre of the world for fans of the long-running BBC radio series The Archers
, which began in 1951.
The last section to Worcestershire
is narrow and winding until it meets the A44
just south of M5
junction 6.
The road is about 90 miles (144.8 km) long.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, connecting the county towns of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
by way of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
and Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
. For most of its length, is a narrow single carriageway.
Route (east to west)
The eastern end of the road is at BromhamBromham, Bedfordshire
Bromham is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, west of the town of Bedford. It is within commuting distance to London via Bedford railway station.-Notable features:...
on the outskirts of Bedford, where it branches off the A428
A428 road
The A428 road is a major road in central and eastern England. It connects the cities of Coventry and Cambridge by way of the county towns of Northampton and Bedford.-Coventry - Northampton:...
. Its route then crosses into the Borough of Milton Keynes (and Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
). It briefly merges with the A509
A509 road
The A509 is a short A-class road for north-south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the M1 and A5 in Milton Keynes....
to bypass Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
. Entering Milton Keynes itself, it crosses the northern part of the city as a dual carriageway known locally as the H3 Monks Way. It has followed these routes since they were developed in the 1970s as part of the grid road system in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.
Upon meeting the A5 the A422 follows its route for 3 miles (4.8 km) before crossing briefly into Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and regaining its identity (and single carriageway status).It then bypasses Deanshanger
Deanshanger
Deanshanger, pronounced deans-hanger, is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, just north of Milton Keynes. In 2007 it was joined with the civil parish of Wicken to form Deanshanger ward, returning two councillors...
, goes through the centre of Buckingham, around Brackley
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
in Northamptonshire, into Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, just before crossing the M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
at Junction 11 and into Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. From the A422/B4525 roundabout, on the western edge of Middleton Cheney, Banbury
Middleton Cheney
Middleton Cheney is a civil parish and the largest village in South Northamptonshire, England. It is situated between Banbury and Brackley. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 3,753.-Local amenities:...
(east of Junction 11), the Road is dualled until it meets the A423 and resumes as a single carriageway. From there to Stratford upon Avon, it is a minor road crossing into Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
at the Battle of Edgehill
Battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....
site, from there it declines steeply down the Sunrising Hill escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
and then across the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
.
From the western side of Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
the road becomes the A46
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
until the junction of the A435
A435 road
The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
trunk road at Oversley on the outskirts of the historic market town of Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
. At that roundabout junction the A422 heads briefly north to cross the River Arrow before heading west into the village of Arrow. In the village the road takes a right hand turn at the old Toll House, heading for the border with Worcestershire and passing through the village of Inkberrow
Inkberrow
Inkberrow is a village in the district of Wychavon, Worcestershire that is often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the setting of the BBC Radio 4 long running radio serialisation or soap opera The Archers. In particular 'The Bull', the fictional Ambridge pub, is supposed to be based on a very...
, said to be the village that was the inspiration for Ambridge, the centre of the world for fans of the long-running BBC radio series The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
, which began in 1951.
The last section to Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
is narrow and winding until it meets the A44
A44 road
The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...
just south of M5
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
junction 6.
The road is about 90 miles (144.8 km) long.