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A272 | |
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![]() A272 westbound at Cheesefoot Head | |
Route information | |
Length | 86 mi (138 km) |
Major junctions | |
East end | Five Ashes (near Heathfield) 50°59′38″N0°12′48″E / 50.9939°N 0.2133°E |
A22 A23 A24 A26 A29 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() A3 A31 ![]() A34 A33 A30 | |
West end | South Wonston (between Winchester and Andover) 51°08′28″N1°22′58″W / 51.1410°N 1.3828°W |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Primary destinations | Winchester Petersfield Uckfield |
Road network | |
The A272 is a road in southeast England. It follows an approximate east–west route from near Heathfield, East Sussex to the city of Winchester, Hampshire.
The eastern end of the A272 starts at a junction with the A267, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of the village of Cross-in-Hand, East Sussex. It heads west, crossing the A26 and A22 north of Uckfield, and continues through Newick before going over the border into West Sussex at a point east of Scaynes Hill. It then bypasses the town of Haywards Heath and continues west, crossing the main London-Brighton A23 road at Bolney.
The route continues, crossing the A24 and passing through a number of villages and small towns in West Sussex, such as Billingshurst, Petworth and Midhurst. It then crosses the county boundary into Hampshire and reaches Petersfield, where it crosses the A3 to the west of the town. The final section passes the National Trust property of Hinton Ampner and rises high on to the Hampshire downs, passing Cheesefoot Head, before descending to merge with the A31 at Chilcomb to the east of Winchester.
In former years, the A272 continued north-west from Winchester to Stockbridge, but this section has now been redesignated as the B3049. Today, after 1.3 miles (2.1 km) it re-emerges from the A31 to run north to the Winnall Roundabout, Junction 9 of the M3. Here it merges with the A34, passing east and north of Winchester (with limited access to the A33 northbound), before re-emerging near Littleton. It then runs NW along the Andover Road (formerly B3420), terminating at the A30 in the parish of Barton Stacey, an overall length of 85 miles (137 km). [1] To the north the B3420 continues across the River Test to Wherwell and Andover.
The A272's route is predominantly rural, despite being only 40 miles (64 km) from the centre of London at 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 is Haywards Heath and its surrounding villages. There is very little dual carriageway —just three very short sections between Petworth and Midhurst —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 by pilgrims travelling between the cathedral cities of Winchester and Canterbury. However, this is unlikely because, for most of its length, it passes through the low weald of Sussex. 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 the Pilgrims' Way, which followed the chalk escarpment of the North Downs.
The road is the subject of a book by the Dutch author Pieter 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.
The M3 is a motorway in England, from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Eastleigh, Hampshire; a distance of approximately 59 miles (95 km). The route includes the Aldershot Urban Area, Basingstoke, Winchester, and Southampton.
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for 160 km (100 mi) from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, with about 4,150 m (13,620 ft) of ascent and descent.
Petworth is a town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east–west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road.
The River Rother flows from Empshott in Hampshire, England, to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. At 52 kilometres (32 mi) long, most of the river lies within West Sussex except for the first 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) which lie in Hampshire. The upper river, from its source to Midhurst, has been used to power watermills, with the earliest recorded use being in 1086, when the Domesday survey was conducted. Although none are still operational, many of the buildings which housed the mills still exist, and in some cases, still retain their milling machinery. This upper section is also noted for a number of early bridges, which have survived since their construction in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The A24 is a major road in England that runs for 53.2 miles (85.6 km) from Clapham in south-west London to Worthing on the English Channel in West Sussex via the suburbs of south-west London, as well as through the counties of Surrey and West Sussex.
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset. Its best-known section is the Hog's Back, a ridge forming part of the North Downs between Guildford and Farnham in Surrey.
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 15 miles (24 km) north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. Situated below the northern slopes of the South Downs, Petersfield lies wholly within the South Downs National Park.
The A32 is a road in Hampshire, southern England, that links Gosport and Alton. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth, it travels north via Fareham, Wickham, Droxford, before joining the A31 road near Alton. The road is 29.2 miles (47.0 km) long from the seafront at Gosport to the roundabout with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non-primary status.
Lodsworth is a small village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is situated between Midhurst and Petworth, half a mile north of the A272 road. It lies within the South Downs National Park, just to the north of the valley of the River Rother; a tributary stream the River Lod runs close to the east end of the village.
Iping is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Stedham with Iping, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the A272 road 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Midhurst, on the River Rother. In 1931 the parish had a population of 400.
Rogate is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, in the Western Rother valley. The village is on the A272 road 5.6 miles (9.0 km) west of Midhurst and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Petersfield, Hampshire. The civil parish includes the villages of Rogate and Rake and the hamlets of Haben, Fyning, Hill Brow, Langley, Durford, Wenham, Durleighmarsh and Terwick Common.
The A338 is a major primary route in southern England, that runs from the junction with the A35 at Poole in Dorset to the junction with the A420 at Besselsleigh in Oxfordshire, a distance of 84 miles (135 km).
Pieter Boogaart is the European Secretary of the Folly Fellowship. A noted book reviewer and teacher, he lives with his wife and collaborator, Rita Boogaart, in the Netherlands.
The A286 is an A class road in the south of England, from its northernmost point in Milford, Surrey, to Birdham, West Sussex. It passes through the market towns of Haslemere and Midhurst, and the cathedral city of Chichester. The road is mostly single carriageway, with a small dual carriageway section as part of the Chichester ring road.
Crawley is a small village in Hampshire, England. It is a few miles from the county town of Winchester. It is a civil parish within the City of Winchester local government district. The village is the location of Crawley Court, currently the headquarters of broadcast infrastructure company Arqiva.
The Midhurst Railways were three branch lines which were built to serve the market town of Midhurst in the English county of West Sussex. The three lines were the Petersfield Railway, from Petersfield; the Mid-Sussex Railway extended by the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway, from Hardham Junction (Pulborough); and from Chichester. The Petersfield Railway opened in 1864, the promoting company having been absorbed by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1863. The Mid-Sussex lines reached Midhurst in 1866, after being absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in 1862. The two lines did not connect, and there were two separate stations close by one another. The Chichester line took much longer to complete, and was opened in 1881, and a new LBSCR station was opened, replacing the first station. In 1925 the former LSWR line was connected to that station.
The Serpent Trail is a 64-mile (103 km) long distance footpath. It runs from Haslemere to Petersfield, which are 11 miles apart in a straight line, by a route which is designed to join up the many heathland areas on greensand in the western Weald. The path takes its name both from its serpentine shape and from passing through habitat of all three British species of snake.
The New Lipchis Way is a 60.8 kilometres (37.8 mi) long distance footpath which runs from Liphook in Hampshire to West Wittering in West Sussex. Running north–south across the Western Weald and South Downs to the Sussex coastal plain and Chichester Harbour the path crosses several geological rock strata and their associated soils and habitats. Landmarks on the route include Cowdray ruins, Goodwood Racecourse, the Trundle, Chichester Cathedral and the city walls, and East Head at West Wittering.
The Chichester to Silchester Way is a Roman Road between Chichester in South-East England, which as Noviomagus was capital of the Regni, and Silchester or Calleva Atrebatum, capital of the Atrebates. The road had been entirely lost and forgotten, leaving no Saxon place names as clues to its existence, until its chance discovery through aerial photography in 1949. Only 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) of the 62 kilometres (39 mi) long road remain in use.
Coultershaw Bridge is a rural community situated 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of the town Petworth in West Sussex, England where the A285 road from Petworth to Chichester crosses the River Rother.