A40 ROAD

: ''For the "flying tank", see Antonov A-40''

The 'A40' is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales.
It is one of the few remaining of the "old" trunk routes not to have been superseded by a direct motorway link, though some parts, such as the southern section from London to Oxford are served by the M40. Edward Platt authored a book entitled ''Leadville'', an intriguing mix of sociology and town planning, and a record of how the A40 was conceived and how it shaped and continues to influence those who live beside and travel on it.
Part of the A40 forms a section of the unsigned Euroroute E30.

Contents

The route

History of the road number

See also

References

Further reading

Gallery

The route

The route passes through the following places in order:

★ In central London:

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★ The road begins as Newgate Street in the City of London where at St. Martin's le Grand it shares its terminus with the A1 north of St. Paul's Cathedral.

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★ For the majority of its length in Central London it runs in a westerly direction, becoming in turn:

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★ Holborn Viaduct

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★ High Holborn

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★ St Giles High Street

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★ New Oxford Street

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★ Oxford Street (to Marble Arch).

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★ From Marble Arch, the route previously ran along:

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★ Bayswater Road

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★ Notting Hill Gate

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★ Holland Park Avenue

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★ Uxbridge Road

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★ Wood Lane to the junction with The Westway

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★ However, since 2000 when the designation of the elevated section of the Westway to Paddington was reduced from A40(M) (motorway) to A40, the route has changed to run from Marble Arch along:

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★ Edgware Road (shared with and signposted as A5)

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★ The Westway

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★ to Savoy Circus (so called because it was once a roundabout) where the name changes to Western Avenue as far as the Denham Roundabout where it meets the western extremity of the A4020 road (the old Uxbridge Road) and the start of the M40.

★ Denham

★ Gerrards Cross

★ Beaconsfield

★ High Wycombe

★ West Wycombe

★ Stokenchurch

★ Oxford — part of the Oxford Ring Road.

★ Eynsham

★ Witney

★ Burford

★ Northleach

★ Charlton Kings

★ Cheltenham

★ Gloucester

★ Highnam

★ Huntley

★ Ross-on-Wye

★ Whitchurch

★ Monmouth

★ Abergavenny

★ Brecon — the A40 continues from the west side of Brecon for 8 miles to Sennybridge. There are links here to Merthyr Tydfil/Brecon Beacons (A470) via the A4215 and to Swansea via the A4067.

★ Llandovery — link for the A483 to Builth Wells.

★ Llanwrda — link for the A482 to Lampeter.

★ Llandeilo

★ Carmarthen

★ St Clears

★ Haverfordwest

★ Fishguard

History of the road number

The original (1923) route of the A40 was the City of London to Fishguard. The road still begins and ends in the same places, but a number of changes have been made to its route.^[1]
The first change dates from 1935, between Ross-on-Wye and Abergavenny. The original route of the A40 was via Skenfrith; this road was renumbered the B4521. The A40 was rerouted via Raglan; between Ross and Raglan it replaced part of the A48, between Raglan and Llanyihangel nigh Usk it replaced the B4234, and between Llanyihangel and Abergavenny it replaced part of the A471.
Subsequently, the A40 was rerouted within west London. Western Avenue dates from the 1930s, but was originally opened as the A403. After the Second World War, the A40 was rerouted along part of the A219 (west of Notting Hill) and Western Avenue. The old route (via Acton, Ealing, Southall,Hayes, Hillingdon and Uxbridge) was renumbered the A4020.

See also

★ British road numbering scheme

References

1. [1] Road to Nowhere: A40 Ross-on-Wye to Abergavenny

Further reading

★ Edward Platt, ''Leadville: A Biography of the A40'' (Picador, 2001). ISBN 0-330-39263-8.

Gallery