A1 road (Great Britain)
The A1 is the longest numbered road in the UK at long. It connects London, the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. For much of its path it follows the historic Great North Road. The modern course of the A1 diverges somewhat, particularly where it passed through a town or village that has subsequently been bypassed, or where new motorway standard road has been constructed on a more direct route. Between its junctions with the M25 (near London) and A696 (near Newcastle upon Tyne) the road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E15 which runs from Inverness to Algeciras.
Route
The A1 runs from the heart of the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral to the centre of Scotland's capital, Edinburgh.The A1 shares its London terminus with the A40, in the City area of Central London. It then runs out of London through Islington (where Upper Street forms part of its route), up Holloway Road, through Barnet, Potters Bar, Hatfield, Welwyn, Stevenage, Baldock, Biggleswade, Sandy, St Neots and Peterborough. Continuing north, the A1 runs on modern bypasses around Stamford, Grantham, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Bawtry, Doncaster, Knottingley, Garforth, Wetherby, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Scotch Corner, Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Durham, Chester-le-Street, past the Angel of the North sculpture and the Metrocentre in Gateshead, around Newcastle upon Tyne, Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, into Scotland, past Dunbar, Haddington and Musselburgh before finally arriving in Edinburgh at the East End of Princes Street near Waverley Station at the junction of the A7, A8 and A900 roads.
Origins and history
The modern A1 mainly follows the route of the Great North Road. This was a major coaching route in Britain and was used by the mail coaches between London, York and Edinburgh. It boasted of many inns used as posting stages. Some of these inns still survive.The Great North Road, in part, followed the course of the Roman Ermine Street: from Alconbury as far as Colsterworth (at the A151 junction), and again in the North Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire areas - utilising part of the course of the Roman Rigg or Roman Ridge north of Doncaster. Further north the Great North Road utilised the Roman Dere Street to Boroughbridge from where it went to Northallerton and then up through Darlington and Durham. An older and alternative route to the north from London was the Old North Road. This followed the initial section of Ermine Street and joined the Great North Road at Alconbury where a prominent milestone records the respective mileages from London on both routes: 65 miles on the Old North Road and 68 by the Great North Road.
A traditional starting point of the Great North Road was the now demolished Hicks Hall at Smithfield in Central London. Milestones and distances in road atlases were measured from this point.The route ran from Smithfield up St John Street to the Angel Islington. However, with the building of the General Post Office at St Martin's-le-Grand in 1829, coaches started using the alternative route used by the modern A1, beginning at the GPO building and following Aldersgate Street and Goswell Road before joining the old route at the Angel. The Angel was originally an inn and an important staging post on the route.
The Great North Road is often mentioned in English literature, for example Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.
The legendary highwayman Dick Turpin's rapid flight from London to York, in less than 15 hours, on his faithful mare Black Bess, is perhaps the most famous legend of the Great North Road. Various inns that still stand along the A1 claim that Turpin ate his lunch there that night, or stopped off there for a brief respite for his horse. Harrison Ainsworth, in his famous 1834 romance Rookwood, immortalised this with a spirited account of this wonderful ride by Dick Turpin on his mare, and it is in this connection that Turpin's name has been generally remembered. Historians have frequently argued that Turpin never actually made this speedy journey, and that, as far as Turpin is concerned, the incident is pure fiction. They argue that such a ride was really made by John Nevison, known as "Swift Nick", born and raised at Wortley village near Sheffield and a well-known highwayman in the time of Charles II some 50 years before Turpin, who to establish an alibi rode from Gad's Hill (near Rochester, Kent) to York (some ) in about 15 hours.
Even more unreliable evidence links various highwaymen with the Ram-Jam Inn at Stretton, in Rutland. The A1 passes a few feet from the door. Although the interior of the historic inn was lost to fire in the 1970s, a modern restaurant occupies the building now.
The original Great North Road had a number of Historic Coaching Inns, including the George at Stamford and the Bell Inn at Stilton (hence Stilton cheese, which was first sold from the Inn from about 1730).
Scotch Corner, in North Yorkshire, marks the point where the traffic for Glasgow and the west of Scotland divides from that for Edinburgh, as it has for hundreds of years before motor traffic. As well as a historic hotel there have been a variety of homes for the famous transport café, now subsumed as a motorway services.
The road skirts the remains of Sherwood Forest, and passes the historic Catterick Garrison.
The original A1 route was designated by the Ministry of Transport in 1921
The route was modified in 1927 when bypasses were built around Barnet and Hatfield
In 1960 Stamford and Doncaster were bypassed, as was Retford in 1961 and St Neots in 1971.
During the early 1970s immediate plans to widen the A1 along the Archway Road were abandoned after four public inquiries when, for the first time, road protesters disrupted the process rather than relying on giving evidence in an orderly manner. The scheme was finally dropped in 1990.
During the 1980s the Hatfield section was rebuilt in a tunnel.
Recent re-routing required the moving of the memorial at Norman Cross to the Napoleonic prisoners buried there.
Speed cameras have been introduced on the busy single carriageway section north of Morpeth which is notorious stretch dangerous overtaking and where there is heavy tourist traffic to locations like Alnwick Castle and heavy goods vehicles serving Scotland. Most of the approaches to the roundabouts between Blyth and London have speed cameras, GATSO or TruVelo about a mile before the roundabout, so that people are doing no more than 70 when the signs announcing the junctions are visible. These are being retained or at the most relocated and recalibrated to control speeds through the roadworks as the roundabouts are bypassed.
Improvements underway
A421 Great Barford Bypass
An upgrade of the Black Cat Roundabout at the junction with the A421 (Bedford Road) is now complete with the Great Barford A421 bypass also finished. 2006.A1 Peterborough to Blyth Grade Separated Junctions
Work began in August 2006 to replace the six roundabouts on the A1 between Blyth and the A1(M) section to Alconbury with grade separated junctions. Once complete this will provide a fully grade separated route between the Buckden roundabout (just north of St Neots and approximately north of the Black Cat roundabout) and just north of Morpeth.| Blyth (A614) | Fully operational May 2008 |
| Apleyhead (A614/A57) | Fully operational January 2008 |
| Markham Moor (A57) | Completion date November 2008 |
| Gonerby Moor (B1174) | Fully operational March 2008 |
| Colsterworth (A151) and the junction with the B6403 | Completion date June 2009 |
| Carpenters Lodge (Stamford) (B1081) | Completion date November 2008 |
A1(M) Bramham to Wetherby Motorway
Upgrade of 10km of the existing road to dual 3-lane motorway standard between the current Bramham/A64 junction to north of Wetherby to meet the section of motorway began in 2006, including provision of a local access road alongside for non-motorway traffic. The scheme's public inquiry began on 18 October 2006 and the project is designed by James Poyner. Work began in May 2007 and is due for completion May 2009.Proposed improvements
A1(M) Dishforth to Barton Motorway
Current proposals are for the upgrade of the existing dual carriageway to dual 3-lane motorway standard, with a local access road provided alongside for non-motorway traffic, between Dishforth (A1(M)/A168 junction) and Barton (start of current northernmost section of A1(M)). Work is due to start in autumn 2008 and be completed by 2011. Once completed this will provide continuous motorway standard between Darrington (south of M62 junction) and Gateshead. Some have suggested the renaming of the motorway stretch from the M1/A1(M) Hook Moor junction to Gateshead to be M1 once this work has been completed meaning that the M1 would then connect London to Tyneside.Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme
There is proposed Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme associated with the A14 at Brampton Hut roundabout.Other proposals
A proposal to replace the road with a parallel motorway between Stotfold and Alconbury thus giving a continuous motorway to Peterborough, was dropped as too expensive, as was a proposal to convert the motorway north of Peterborough to Grantham.Plans to improve the single carriageway section of road north of Newcastle upon Tyne were shelved in 2006 as they were not considered a regional priority. The intention was to dual the road between Morpeth and Felton and between Adderstone and Belford. There are now no current plans to dual the whole of the A1 route between Newcastle and Edinburgh, despite fierce campaigns in the past to make this so.
Improvements to junctions near the village of Elkesley, Nottinghamshire are planned; since the 1990s this has been the only location between London and Newcastle where there is a permanent speed restriction below national speed limit, as the village's only access to the rest of the road network is via the A1.
Further sections of motorway upgrades are planned, which would ultimately create a single motorway running from Doncaster to Gateshead.
Expressway
In Scotland a section of the road has been upgraded to motorway standard and classified as a Special Road, but is not designated as the A1(M). This runs from the east of Edinburgh to Dunbar.A1(M)
Some sections of the A1 have been upgraded to motorway standard. These are known as the A1(M). These include:
M25 to Stotfold
This section opened in stages:
- Junctions 1 to 2 opened in 1979
- Junctions 2 to 4 opened in 1986
- Junctions 4 to 6 opened in 1973
- Junctions 6 to 8 opened in 1962
- Junctions 8 to 10 opened in 1967
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Sandy | J10 Baldock services | Stotfold, Henlow A507 Non-motorway traffic |
| Stotfold, Henlow A507 | Start of Motorway | |
| Letchworth, Baldock A505 | J9 | Letchworth, Baldock, Hitchin A505 |
| Hitchin, Stevenage A602 | J8 | Stevenage A602 |
| Stevenage, Ware A602 | J7 | Stevenage, Ware A602 |
| Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City A1000 | J6 | Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City A1000 |
| No access | J5 | No access |
| Welwyn Garden City, Hertford A414 | J4 | Welwyn Garden City, Hertford A414 |
| Hatfield Tunnel | ||
| St Albans A414 | J3 | St Albans A414 Potters Bar A1001 |
| Hatfield A1001 | J2 | No access |
| Start of motorway | J1 South Mimms services | Dartford (M11, M20) Heathrow (M1, M40, M4) M25 Barnet A1081 |
| Dartford (M11, M20) Heathrow (M1, M40, M4) M25 Barnet A1081 Non-motorway traffic | Road continues as A1 to Central London | |
Alconbury to Peterborough
This section opened in 1998.
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Newark | J17 Peterborough services | Peterborough A1139 Non-motorway traffic |
| Peterborough A1139 | Start of Motorway | |
| Yaxley, Stilton A15 | J16 | Yaxley, Stilton A15 |
| Sawtry B1043 | J15 | Sawtry B1043 |
| Start of Motorway | J14 | Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Felixstowe A14 (M11) London THE CITY and EAST |
| Alconbury B1043 Non-motorway traffic | Road continues as A1 to Sandy | |
Doncaster Bypass
This section opened in 1961 and is one of the oldest sections of motorwat in Britain.
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Wetherby | J38 | South Elmsall, Ackworth, Wakefield A638 Non-motorway traffic |
| South Elmsall, Ackworth, Wakefield A638 | Start of Motorway | |
| Barnsley, Thurnscoe A635 | J37 | Barnsley, Thurnscoe A635 |
| Doncaster, Doncaster Railport, Conisbrough A630 | J36 | Doncaster, Doncaster Railport, Conisbrough A630 |
| Sheffield, Rotherham Hull, Scunthorpe, Doncaster Robin Hood Airport M18 | J35 | Sheffield, Rotherham Hull, Scunthorpe, Robin Hood Airport M18 |
| Start of motorway | J34 Terminus | The SOUTH, Newark A1 Bawtry A614 Blyth B6045 Blyth services |
Darrington to Bramham
This section opened in sections:
- Junctions 43 to 44 opened in 1999
- When this section opened it ended at a temporary terminus south of the M1. There was a final exit into Micklefield Village for non-motorway traffic onto what is now the access road. From opening in 1999 until 2008 junctions 43 & 44 were incorrectly numbered as junctions 44 & 45 and are shown as such in many road atlases.
- Junction 40 to south of 43 opened in 2005 & 2006
- This is the most recent upgrade of the road, which upgraded the previous two-lane dual carriageway, much of which was on a substandard alignment to a dual 3-lane motorway. The northern section of the upgrade, bypassing Fairburn village opened to traffic in April 2005 with a temporary connection with the existing A1 between Fairburn and Brotherton. The southern section, with a free-flow interchange with the M62 motorway opened to traffic on 13 January 2006.
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Wetherby | J44 | Leeds, York A64 Non-motorway traffic |
| Leeds, York A64 | Start of Motorway | |
| No access | J43 | The SOUTH, Leeds M1 |
| Leeds, Selby A63 | J42 | Selby A63 |
| Hull, Goole, Manchester, Pontefract, Leeds M62 | J41 | Hull, Goole, Manchester, Pontefract, Leeds M62 Ferrybridge services |
| Start of motorway | J40 | No access |
| Knottingley A162 Non-motorway traffic Ferrybridge services | Road continues as A1 to Doncaster | |
Bramham to Wetherby
Work to upgrade to dual 3-lane motorway standard underway, due for completion May 2009. Work includes the numbering of the current junction with the A659 as Junction 45, an additional bridge over the River Wharfe, widening of the current dual carriageway past Wetherby Racecourse and provision of a local access road to serve the villages of Boston Spa, Thorner and Bramham.
Wetherby to Dishforth
This section opened in stages:
- Junctions 46 to temporary junction at Walshford opened in 2005
- Walshford to 49 opened in 1995
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Scotch Corner | J49 | Thirsk, Middlesbrough A168 (A19) Non-motorway traffic |
| Thirsk, Middlesbrough A168 (A19) | Start of Motorway | |
| Ripon, Boroughbridge A168 | J48 | Boroughbridge A168 Knaresborough A6055 |
| Knaresborough, Harrogate, Leeds Bradford International Airport A59 | J47 | York, Knaresborough A59 |
| Start of motorway | J46 Wetherby services (under construction ) | Kirk Deighton, Wetherby A168 |
| Kirk Deighton, Wetherby A168 Non-motorway traffic | Road continues as A1 towards Doncaster | |
Dishforth to Barton
Section to be upgraded to dual 3-lane motorway standard, work due to start in late 2008. It will include four new junctions:Due to junction numbers further north being based on older rejected plans which included more planned junctions there will not be a Junction 54 or 55.
Barton to Gateshead
This section in stages:
- Junctions 56 to 59 opened in 1965
- Junctions 59 to 63 opened in 1969
- Junctions 63 to 65 opened in 1970
Junctions
| A1(M) Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road continues as A1 to Newcastle | J65 | Washington A1231 Non-motorway traffic |
| South Shields, Tyne Tunnel A194(M) | Start of Motorway | |
| Washington services | ||
| Washington A195 | J64 | Washington A195 |
| Chester-le-Street A167 Stanley A693 | J63 | Chester-le-Street A167 Stanley A693 |
| Durham, Sunderland A690 | J62 | Durham A690 |
| Spennymoor A688 Durham A177 | J61 Durham services | Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor A688 |
| Newton Aycliffe, Hartlepool, Ferryhill A689 | J60 | Newton Aycliffe, Hartlepool A689 |
| Newton Aycliffe A167 | J59 | Newton Aycliffe, Darlington, Stockton A167 |
| Shildon, Bishop Auckland A68 | J58 | Darlington A68 |
| Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough A66(M) | J57 | No access |
| Start of Motorway | J56 | Melsonby, Barton B6275 |
| Melsonby, Barton B6275 Non-motorway traffic | Road continues as A1 towards Wetherby | |
Popular culture
- Part of the J.B. Priestley novel The Good Companions features the Great North Road, a representation to the northerner Jess Oakroyd as the gateway to such exotic destinations as Nottingham.
- The Lord Peter Wimsey short story "The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag" by Dorothy L. Sayers features a motorcycle chase along the Great North Road.
- Near the southern end are signs saying "Hatfield and the North". These signs gave their name to 70s rock band Hatfield and the North.
- The A1 is mentioned in The Long Blondes' song "Separated By Motorways", along with the A14.
- The A1(M) is mentioned in the song "Gabadon" by Sheffield band Haze.
- The 'Great North Road' is mentioned in Mark Knopfler's song "5:15 AM", from the album Shangri La.
See also
References
External links
- CBRD Motorway Database - A1(M)
- BiffVernon: A1-The Great North Road
- Society for All British Road Enthusiasts entry for the A1
- Road to Nowhere: A1
- The Motorway Archive (A1(M))
- Junctions 1 to 10 & 13 to 17
- Junctions 34 to 38
- Junctions 47 to 49
- Junctions 56 to 59
- Junctions 59 to 63
- Junctions 63 to 65
- Pathetic Motorways: A1(M) Central Motorway East
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday October 07, 2008 at 14:07:45 PDT (GMT -0700)
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