This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2021) |
A4020 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Length | 12 mi (19 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
East end | Shepherd's Bush Green (A219, A402 & A3220) | |||
A3220 A402 A219 A4000 A406 A4001 A3002 A4127 A3005 A312 A437 A408 A4007 M40 A40 A412 | ||||
West end | M40 Junction 1 - Denham Interchange | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United Kingdom | |||
Primary destinations | Shepherd's Bush Green, Acton, Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes, Hillingdon, Uxbridge | |||
Road network | ||||
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Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in West London. The 12-mile (19 km) route starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes, and Hillingdon.
Uxbridge Road is a major road in west London passing through many retail and large residential districts. It provides several transport connections for commuters with many London Underground stations situated either on it or within walking distance. A number of London buses also operate along the road, for varying distances. Bus routes 207, 427 and SL8 are specifically designed to operate along this road, staying on it for their entire route. The road has become notorious for traffic jams, especially during "rush hour" and many drivers will do their best to avoid it. The road does not become a motorway at any stage, nor does it meet any motorways along its route, but it does meet non-motorway trunk roads: namely the West Cross Route, North Circular Road, and The Parkway
In a 1912 book of verse Evelyn Underhill published a poem entitled "Uxbridge Road". In 1972, the thirty-third episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a sketch about a team of mountaineers "climbing" the Uxbridge Road.
Emerging from a roundabout in Shepherd's Bush, the Uxbridge Road enters several important places in west London. The Shepherds Bush/White City area is now the site of the new Westfield London retail development, which opened in October 2008. Uxbridge Road is crucial in providing road access to this new retail centre. The Uxbridge Road also provides access to the popular Shepherd's Bush Market, at the western end of the area, as well as Shepherds Bush Common. Notable buildings on this stretch of Uxbridge Road include St Stephen's Church, the Bush Theatre, [1] and the Princess Victoria public house. [2]
It then enters Acton, crossing over from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham into the London Borough of Ealing, where the largest part of the road lies. Acton is primarily a residential district, though there is a long stretch of shops (including a large Morrisons, pubs, and restaurants, mostly concentrated on the Uxbridge Road.
Ealing Common is the next residential area that the Uxbridge Road crosses through, which is the smallest of all areas the Uxbridge Road crosses through. It has a short stretch of shops concentrated on the Uxbridge Road.
Ealing Broadway is the main retail centre that is directly served by the Uxbridge Road. The shopping area is a mixture of shops in the open on the actual road and around several neighbouring back roads, as well a closed-centre building, home to several chain stores and independent boutiques, which has an entrance on Uxbridge Road. This is arguably the busiest part of the road for passengers on foot.
West Ealing follows, which is very similar to Acton – it is also a large residential district and has a very similar stretch of shops concentrated on the Uxbridge Road. West Ealing has a few more retail outlets similar to those in Ealing Broadway, but increasingly since the 1990s, it has begun to differ from Ealing Broadway in the types of shops that it offers.
Hanwell Broadway follows very shortly after West Ealing Broadway ends. Hanwell again offers its own range of shops, similar in style to Ealing Common, West Ealing and Acton. After leaving Hanwell, the road passes Ealing Hospital.
Compared with the other centres along the length of the road, there is a much larger gap between Hanwell and the next centre, Southall. Southall Broadway has a mix of shops in both the style of Ealing Broadway and of West Ealing; however, as the areas is predominantly populated by Asians, they are in a slightly different vein. This is another very congested part of the road (like Ealing Broadway), because it is very popular as a shopping area for the public and tourists.
Uxbridge Road then enters the London Borough of Hillingdon as it enters the very large residential and retail district of Hayes. Hayes is home to a few industrial sites, unlike most of the other areas Uxbridge Road passes through. Shop-wise, along the length of the road, it is similar to areas like West Ealing and Acton. Uxbridge Road then terminates after passing through certain areas of Hillingdon, passing around the south of Uxbridge town centre; and terminating at Denham Roundabout. Uxbridge retail centre is not directly accessible by the Uxbridge Road, but is the only other retail centre associated with areas in close proximity to the Uxbridge Road other than Ealing Broadway to boast a variety of high street shops. Both are popular with London residents.
The only London Underground stations that have the station building and entrance on Uxbridge Road are Ealing Common and Shepherd's Bush Market. Ealing Broadway station is less than 2 minutes walk away from the junction of Uxbridge Road and The Broadway. Uxbridge station is within walking distance of the very end of the road. Towards the eastern end of the road, the Shepherd's Bush (Central Line) station is within walking distance of the road. The western areas that Uxbridge Road runs through do not contain particular tube stations in their areas, although Northfields station is situated a short walk away from the junction of Uxbridge Road and Northfields Avenue in West Ealing. West Ealing, Hanwell and Southall railway stations are themselves within walking distance of Uxbridge Road.
Although several buses operate along the Uxbridge Road for parts of their route, the road is considered so important that three particular buses were designed to operate solely on the road. They are:-
In the early 2000's, a tram scheme, the West London Tram, was planned to run along the length of the Uxbridge Road and replace these three bus routes. This scheme was abandoned in 2007. [3]
The original route of the A4020 was in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
The road was a short one, starting on the A46 near the station and heading west along Cainscross Road to Cainscross itself. The road ended on the A434 just to the north of that road's crossing of the Stroudwater Canal.
In 1935, the west end of the A419 was rerouted via Stroud, taking over the entire length of the A4020, which number it retains. The former A434 to the west was also renumbered A419 although this is now the B4008.
Acton is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is 6.1 miles (10 km) west of Charing Cross.
Hanwell is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post town.
The London Borough of Ealing is a London borough in London, England. It comprises the districts of Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. With a population of 367,100 inhabitants, it is the third most populous London borough.
Southall is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns.
The London Borough of Hillingdon is a London borough in Greater London, England. It forms part of outer London and West London, being the westernmost London borough. It was formed in 1965 from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton. The borough includes most of Heathrow Airport and Brunel University, and is the second largest of the 32 London boroughs by area.
Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 4.9 miles (7.9 km) west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan line and the Piccadilly line. The next station towards London is Hillingdon. The station is 15.5 miles (25 km) west of Charing Cross and is in Travelcard Zone 6. The closest station on the Chiltern Line and Central line is West Ruislip, accessible by the U1 and U10 buses. The closest station on the Elizabeth line is West Drayton, accessible by the U1, U3, U5 and 222 buses. Uxbridge was formerly the terminus of a branch of the District line which ran from Ealing Common; the Piccadilly line took over in 1933.
Ealing Common is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line and on the Ealing Broadway branch of the District line. Eastbound, the next station is Acton Town; westbound, the next station is North Ealing on the Piccadilly line and Ealing Broadway on the District line. Here, the District and Piccadilly lines share the same pair of tracks through the station – the only other example where a deep level line and a sub surface line share the same pair of tracks is further up the Uxbridge branch, where the Piccadilly line shares tracks with the Metropolitan line from Rayners Lane to Uxbridge. It is the only station west of Acton Town to be served by both the Piccadilly and District lines.
West Ealing is a district in the London Borough of Ealing, in West London. The district is about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) west of Ealing Broadway. Although there is a long history of settlement in the area, West Ealing in its present form is less than one hundred years old. West Ealing falls under the postcode district W13 and neighbours Hanwell, Ealing, Perivale and Northfields
Norwood Green is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in London, England, that forms the southern part of Southall. It is a suburban development centred 10.7 miles (17.2 km) west of Charing Cross and 4 miles (6.4 km) ENE of Heathrow Airport.
Elthorne was a hundred of the historic county of Middlesex, England.
The West London Tram was a proposed on-street light rail line that was to run along the Uxbridge Road (A4020) corridor in West London, England. The scheme was promoted by Transport for London (TfL). It was postponed indefinitely on 2 August 2007, as it was opposed by the then councils of all three bisected London Boroughs.
London United Tramways Company Limited was an operator of trams and trolleybuses in the western and southern suburbs of London, UK, from 1894 to 1933, when it passed to the London Passenger Transport Board.
London Buses route 207 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hayes bypass and White City bus station, it is operated by Transport UK London Bus.
London Buses route SL8 is a Transport for London contracted Superloop express bus route in London, England. Running between Uxbridge station and White City bus station, it is operated by Metroline.
London Buses route 427 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Uxbridge and Southall, it is operated by Transport UK London Bus.
West London NHS Trust is an NHS trust which provides mental and physical health services to the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow. It also provides some services on a national basis, including forensic and high-security services.
Northfields is an area in Ealing, west London. It is centred on Northfield Avenue, a shopping street of mostly independent shops and restaurants. It lies partially in the Ealing W5 and partially in west Ealing's W13 postcode. It lies in the southwest corner of Ealing.
West Twyford is a small residential area forming a northeastern corner of the London Borough of Ealing directly northeast of Hanger Lane station and north of Park Royal, south of the London Borough of Brent and the River Brent. It was historically an extra-parochial area, then civil parish (1866-1926), in Middlesex, England.
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales. The A40 in London starts in the City of London and passes through six London Boroughs: Camden, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Hillingdon, to meet the M40 motorway junction 1 at Denham, Buckinghamshire.