Markham Moor
Encyclopedia
Markham Moor is a village which lies five miles south of the town of Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...

 in the county of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...

. Markham Moor lies on the junction between the A1, A638
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....

 and A57 road
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...

s. The village was on the route of the old Great North Road and was also traditionally part of the East Markham
East Markham
East Markham, historically also known as Great Markham, is a small village near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire. It lies about 8 km south of Retford...

 parish.

Markham Moor junction

Markham Moor has a junction in the middle of the village which links the A1 between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, the A638 to Retford and the A57 to Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

. Previously, this junction was a simple roundabout, but as part of junction improvements by the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...

 between Blyth
Blyth, Nottinghamshire
Blyth is a village in the Bassetlaw district of the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, north west of East Retford, on the River Ryton.-Geography:...

 in Nottinghamshire and Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

, the junction changed to the current two level junction, with one roundabout at the north end for the A57 and A638, and another roundabout on the south side for the B1164 Great North Road to Tuxford
Tuxford
-Geography:Tuxford is a village and a civil parish on the southern edge of the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It may also be considered a small town as it was historically a market town. Nearby larger towns are Retford and Newark-on-Trent. From Harvest Cottage, near the ECML, the...

. Both roundabouts are connected by a flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...

.

A public inquiry was launched into the improvements in 2006 after a number of objections, the majority from the nearby village of Elkesley
Elkesley
Elkesley is a village in Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 805. It is located 6 miles south of Retford.The parish church of St Giles was built c. 1300 in Decorated style, and was partially reconstructed in 1845...

. The objectors were concerned with the timing of the improvements and increased traffic flow on the A1 which bypasses Elkesley.

Service area

Markham Moor junction has a number of companies providing services
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...

 for travellers travelling along the major trunk roads which meet at the Markham Moor junction, including McDonalds, a Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...

, a historic hotel on the route of the old Great North Road and a lorry park. The services also hold a Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...

cafe, which was originally designed as a petrol station in the late 1950s and converted to a Little Chef later on. There was a preservation campaign to get the building listed to prevent it from being demolished as part of the Markham Moor junction improvement plans published by the Highways Agency. The plans were revised to save and improve access to the restaurant.
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