Nine Mile Ride
Encyclopedia
Nine Mile Ride is a 6.7 miles (10.8 km) length of the B3430 road in the English
county of Berkshire
, running from the south of Bracknell
to Finchampstead
, near Wokingham
.
and M4 motorway
s. The straightness of the road has made it popular with motorcyclists. Authorities have imposed a number of traffic calming
measures in response. Today, Nine Mile Ride is largely suburban in character, and includes a small selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. In recent years, a number of the older properties along the road have been either renovated and extended, or replaced. A large Romany Gypsy community exists along the Crowthorne section of the road.
but was built for King George III
as part of an expansion programme to the rides built for Queen Anne to more easily facilitate hunting in Windsor Forest. It begins at the site of Swinley Lodge, the home of the Royal Buckhounds. The road lies almost parallel to the Devil's Highway, a Roman road running from London to Silchester.
On 2nd May 2011, a gas explosion caused an area of Nine Mile Ride to be evacuated near to California Country Park, damaging several industrial units. On the same day, fires in Swinley Forest led to road closures at the Bracknell end of the road.
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...
county of 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...
, running from the south of Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
to Finchampstead
Finchampstead
Finchampstead is a civil parish near Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire. Its northern extremity is situated south of Wokingham, west of Bracknell, south-east of Reading, and west of Central London.-Geography:...
, near Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
.
Character
The road connects several residential areas in east Berkshire, providing a scenic route between the M3M3 motorway
The M3 motorway runs in England for approximately from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Southampton, Hampshire and forms an unsigned section European route E05. It is dual three lanes as far as Junction 8 near Basingstoke and then dual two lane until Junction 9 near Winchester and then dual three...
and M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
s. The straightness of the road has made it popular with motorcyclists. Authorities have imposed a number of traffic calming
Traffic calming
Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
measures in response. Today, Nine Mile Ride is largely suburban in character, and includes a small selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. In recent years, a number of the older properties along the road have been either renovated and extended, or replaced. A large Romany Gypsy community exists along the Crowthorne section of the road.
History
Despite its straightness, the Nine Mile Ride is not a Roman roadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
but was built for King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
as part of an expansion programme to the rides built for Queen Anne to more easily facilitate hunting in Windsor Forest. It begins at the site of Swinley Lodge, the home of the Royal Buckhounds. The road lies almost parallel to the Devil's Highway, a Roman road running from London to Silchester.
On 2nd May 2011, a gas explosion caused an area of Nine Mile Ride to be evacuated near to California Country Park, damaging several industrial units. On the same day, fires in Swinley Forest led to road closures at the Bracknell end of the road.