A272 road
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2013) |
 | |
|---|---|
 The A272 between Petersfield and Winchester | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 86 mi (138 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| East end | Five Ashes(nearHeathfield) 50°59′38″N0°12′48″E/ 50.9939°N 0.2133°E |
| A22 A23 A24 A26 A29  A267 A273 A275 A283 A286A3 A31  M3A34 A33 A30 | |
| West end | South Wonston(betweenWinchesterandAndover) 51°08′28″N1°22′58″W/ 51.1410°N 1.3828°W |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Primary destinations | Winchester Petersfield Uckfield |
| Road network | |
TheA272is a road in southeastEngland.It follows an approximate east–west route from nearHeathfield,East Sussexto the city ofWinchester,Hampshire.
Route
[edit]The eastern end of the A272 starts at a junction with theA267,1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of the village ofCross-in-Hand,East Sussex.It heads west, crossing theA26andA22north ofUckfield,and continues throughNewickbefore going over the border intoWest Sussexat a point east ofScaynes Hill.It then bypasses the town ofHaywards Heathand continues west, crossing the mainLondon-BrightonA23 roadatBolney.
The route continues, crossing theA24and passing through a number of villages and small towns inWest Sussex,such asBillingshurst,PetworthandMidhurst.It then crosses the county boundary intoHampshireand reachesPetersfield,where it crosses theA3to the west of the town. The final section passes theNational Trustproperty ofHinton Ampnerand rises high on to theHampshiredowns,passingCheesefoot Head,before descending to merge with theA31at Chilcomb to the east ofWinchester.
In former years, the A272 continued north-west fromWinchestertoStockbridge,but this section has now been redesignated as theB3049.Today, after 1.3 miles (2.1 km) it re-emerges from the A31 to run north to the Winnall Roundabout, Junction 9 of theM3.Here it merges with theA34,passing east and north ofWinchester(with limited access to theA33northbound), before re-emerging near Littleton. It then runs NW along the Andover Road (formerlyB3420), terminating at theA30in theparishofBarton Stacey,an overall length of 85 miles (137 km).[1]To the north the B3420 continues across theRiver TesttoWherwellandAndover.
Features
[edit]The A272's route is predominantlyrural,despite being only 40 miles (64 km) from the centre ofLondonat its nearest point. Most of it passes through countryside, villages and small towns, and the only built-up area of any size that it traverses isHaywards Heathand its surrounding villages. There is very littledual carriageway—just three very short sections betweenPetworthandMidhurst—and it therefore gives the driver an experience which is reminiscent of English country roads as they were in the middle of the 20th Century.
It has been said that the A272 follows part of the route that was taken bypilgrimstravelling between thecathedralcities ofWinchesterandCanterbury.However, this is unlikely because, for most of its length, it passes through the lowwealdofSussex.Prior to the development of modern roads, this was difficult for travellers, because of the extensive forest and tracts of low-lying marshy ground. The more likely route was thePilgrims' Way,which followed thechalkescarpmentof theNorth Downs.
In popular culture
[edit]The road is the subject of a book by theDutchauthorPieter Boogaart:A272 - An Ode to a Road(Pallas Athene, 2000).[2]
The A272 is the subject of a chapter in W H Charnock's book "Mind over Motor" describing in detail a car journey from Winchester to Petersfield.
The A272 is mentioned as part of the route Pablo Picasso will take as part of his bicycle ride in the first episode of Monty Python.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"Directions to A272".Google Maps.Retrieved29 March2013.
- ^Boogaart, P (2000).A272: An Ode to a Road.Pallas Athene.ISBN1-873429-29-0.
External links
[edit]
A roads in Zone 2 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
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