A423 road
Encyclopedia
The A423 road is a primary A road in England which leads from central Banbury
to the A45 near Coventry
. It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estate, then just north of Banbury it crosses over the M40
, from there it passes close to several Warwickshire
villages until it becomes part of the Southam
by-pass, it then goes through Long Itchington
and Marton
before merging with the A45 near Ryton
.
in Staffordshire
to Oxford
. In the 1930s the route was extended from Oxford to the A4 near Maidenhead
in Berkshire
, over parts of the former routes of the A42 and A415. From 1971 to 1990 it joined the then A423(M) motorway at Maidenhead Thicket. A curious feature of the route was a 3 miles (4.8 km) gap between Benson, Oxfordshire
and a point 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north west of Nuffield
, which resulted from the construction of RAF Benson
across the line of the road. The detour though Crowmarsh Gifford
was designated the B479 and A4130
rather than A423.
On the completion of the M42 motorway
in the early 1980s, the phase of the A423 between Tamworth and Coventry was downgraded to become a B-road.
The final downgrading came in 1990 when the M40 motorway
between Oxford
and Birmingham
was completed. The remainder of the route south of Banbury was renumbered to become parts of the A4260
, A4074 and A4130
, although it is briefly reprised as part of the Oxford Ring Road
between the A34 Hinksey Hill
interchange and the A4142/A4074 Heyford Hill roundabout. This is because the A4074 used to be the A423 prior to the M40 motorway
being built. On this stretch of road, heading eastbound, drivers will notice the "distance" sign showing the name A423 and the destinations that the former A423 route would have passed through. This can be seen on the following Google StreetView image - here
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...
to the A45 near Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estate, then just north of Banbury it crosses over 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...
, from there it passes close to several 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...
villages until it becomes part of the Southam
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
by-pass, it then goes through Long Itchington
Long Itchington
Long Itchington is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,161. The village is named after the River Itchen which flows to the south and west of the village....
and Marton
Marton, Warwickshire
Marton is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. The village is part of the borough of Rugby and in the 2001 census had a population of 484....
before merging with the A45 near Ryton
Ryton-on-Dunsmore
Ryton-on-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the Rugby district of Warwickshire, and is south-east of Coventry, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 1,672 in the parish. The A45 dual carriageway passes through the village....
.
History
Its original route when first classified in 1922 was from TamworthTamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. In the 1930s the route was extended from Oxford to the A4 near Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, over parts of the former routes of the A42 and A415. From 1971 to 1990 it joined the then A423(M) motorway at Maidenhead Thicket. A curious feature of the route was a 3 miles (4.8 km) gap between Benson, Oxfordshire
Benson, Oxfordshire
Benson is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills at the confluence of a chalk stream and the River Thames, next to Benson Lock...
and a point 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north west of Nuffield
Nuffield, Oxfordshire
Nuffield is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, just over east of Wallingford.-History:The ancient Ridgeway path runs through the village. The section of the Ridgeway west of the village follows the ancient Grim's Ditch....
, which resulted from the construction of RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
across the line of the road. The detour though Crowmarsh Gifford
Crowmarsh Gifford
Crowmarsh Gifford is a village in the civil parish of Crowmarsh in South Oxfordshire. It is beside the River Thames opposite the market town of Wallingford, the two being linked via Wallingford Bridge...
was designated the B479 and A4130
A4130 road
The A4130 is a British A road which runs from a junction with the A404 at Burchetts Green, Berkshire to the A417 at Rowstock in Oxfordshire. It passes through Henley-on-Thames, and Nettlebed, and bypasses Wallingford and Didcot....
rather than A423.
On the completion of the M42 motorway
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
in the early 1980s, the phase of the A423 between Tamworth and Coventry was downgraded to become a B-road.
The final downgrading came in 1990 when the M40 motorway
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...
between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
was completed. The remainder of the route south of Banbury was renumbered to become parts of the A4260
A4260 road
The A4260 is a road that leads from the A422 Henneff Way, Banbury to Frieze Way near Oxford. It is single carriageway for a majority of the route, except for a section near Steeple Aston for and on Frieze Way where the A4260 meets the A34 at Peartree Interchange, Oxford, where it becomes a dual...
, A4074 and A4130
A4130 road
The A4130 is a British A road which runs from a junction with the A404 at Burchetts Green, Berkshire to the A417 at Rowstock in Oxfordshire. It passes through Henley-on-Thames, and Nettlebed, and bypasses Wallingford and Didcot....
, although it is briefly reprised as part of the Oxford Ring Road
Oxford Ring Road
The Oxford ring road is a ring road around the city of Oxford, England. It is a dual carriageway for most of its length apart from a short section to the North between the Woodstock and Banbury Roads....
between the A34 Hinksey Hill
Hinksey Hill
Hinksey Hill is a hill and residential area south of the centre of Oxford. It is in South Hinksey civil parish, about south of the village. Hinksey Hill was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
interchange and the A4142/A4074 Heyford Hill roundabout. This is because the A4074 used to be the A423 prior to the M40 motorway
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...
being built. On this stretch of road, heading eastbound, drivers will notice the "distance" sign showing the name A423 and the destinations that the former A423 route would have passed through. This can be seen on the following Google StreetView image - here