A413 road

A413
A413 nearWendover
Major junctions
South end	Denham,Buckinghamshire
Major intersections	A40 A355 A404 A4010 A41 A418 A421 A43
North end	Towcester
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Primary destinations	Aylesbury,Buckingham
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones
←A412 →A414

TheA413is a majorroadin England that runs betweenDenham(west of London) toTowcester(northwest of Milton Keynes). It passes through or near various towns and villages including (in northbound order)Gerrards Cross,Chalfont St Peter,Chalfont St Giles,Amersham,Little Missenden,Great Missenden,Wendover,Aylesbury,Winslow,andBuckingham.Most of the road is inBuckinghamshire,with a part at the north end inNorthamptonshire.

In the 1960s, a by-pass was built aroundGreat Missendenand re-routing has taken place throughAylesburytown centre. In recent years,by-passes have been built forAmersham(1987) andWendover(1998). In the early 21st century, the junction near Towcester where the A413 joins theA43has also been redeveloped along with much-needed A43 redevelopment aroundSilverstone Circuit.

That part of the route which runs along the Misbourne Valley dates back into pre-history. In Medieval times, the Cartulary ofMissenden Abbeysimply recorded the road as "the Kings Highway". Also just north of Aylesbury the road crossesHolman's Bridge,the location in 1642 of theBattle of Aylesbury.

The section of the A413 between Aylesbury and Winslow is known locally for its high accident rate. A number of signs have been put up along this stretch of road stating how many casualties have occurred on the road in recent years. The stretch has a high number of blind turnings, sudden speed limits and steep gradients. The worst accident to occur in recent years was in 2003 when a lorry crashed through the side of a bridge just south of the hamlet ofHardwick.The road was closed completely for two days resulting in all bus services being diverted onto theA418orA41.

In popular culture

AylesburyrockstarJohn Otwaywrote a B-Side about the road on his Number 9 hit single "Bunsen Burner." The song was called "A413 Revisited" and is about John returning home no longer as a one hit wonder but as a two hit artist. The chorus is:

"From Amersham, to Missenden,

to Wendover to the Vale of Aylesbury,

that's me heading down the 4-1-3 "

and features places located on the road such asThe Grange Schoolin Aylesbury.