A442 road
Encyclopedia
The A442 is a main road which passes through the counties of Worcestershire
and Shropshire
, in the West Midlands region of England
.
where it meets the A449
from Worcester
. This section of road used to be the B4192 until the late 1970's when it was upgraded to A road status.
At Kidderminster
, it starts again and then runs north-north-west into Shropshire
, via Bridgnorth
and Telford
(where it crosses the M54 motorway
). Through Telford it is known as Queensway, and the Eastern Primary (EP). It ends where it meets the A53
just outside the village of Hodnet. Before the A53 bypass around the village was built, the A442 continued through Hodnet and joined the A41
near Darliston, south of Whitchurch
. This section of road however has now been downgraded: most of it is declassified, but part has been reclassifed as part of B5065. However Googlemaps.com
is currently still mistakenly listing the now declassified route as still being the A442.
) dated 980 AD as a stræte. This road was maintained by a Droitwich turpike
trust eatablished in 1755.
North of Kidderminster it was a 'way' in the Saxon bounds of Wolverley
before being joined by the great street at Shatterford. At Shatterford, the Prior of Worcester was authorised to assart 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of wood and heath 'for the greater security of persons going through the said pass. From Shatterford the old course of the road goes through Romsley
and Allum Bridge, to rejoin the present road at Quatt
. The old survives as lane and tracks. The present road began life as a new turnpike built in the late 1820s by the Kidderminster turnpike trust, which had been responsible for the road as far as Quatford
since 1760. Bridgnorth only became the northern end of the road in 1821. The trust remained responsible for the road until 1873.
North of Bridgnorth, the road formed part of the Stafford
and Newport
turnpikes. The Trust was estabnlished in 1763, becoming their third district, when their Act was renewed in 1783. Beyond Sutton Cross in Sutton Maddock the turnpike continued through Shifnal
to Woodcote, where it joined another turnpike (now A41 road
). This continuation is now classified as B4379 and as A4169 road.
The stretch immediately beyond Sutton Cross was part of the Madeley
turnpike district, going to the Bucks Head on Watling Street
. This was turnpiked in 1764, continuing southeast to the New Inn on Rudge Heath, but that stretch of road was evidently not in fact improved until the 1960s, when it was upgraded to become B4176. The northern terminus was altered in 1827 when the road from Balls Hill in Dawley
to Bucks Head was discontibued in favour of an alternative route to Watling Street. The course of the road was altered again when a new major road was built to take traffic through the built up area of Telford
New Town in the 1970s. Some of the old routes have completely disappeared.
The next section of the old route is from Watling Street to the smith's shop at Crudgington
. The first part of this is now A5223 road, but the new course of A442 then rejoins the old one. This was turnpiked in 1725 with the Shrewsbury
to Crackley Bank section of Watling Street
.
Further sections of the road are also former turnpikes.
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, in the West Midlands region of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Route
From Droitwich in Worcestershire it runs towards KidderminsterKidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
where it meets the A449
A449 road
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire....
from Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. This section of road used to be the B4192 until the late 1970's when it was upgraded to A road status.
At Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, it starts again and then runs north-north-west into Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, via Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
and Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
(where it crosses the M54 motorway
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
). Through Telford it is known as Queensway, and the Eastern Primary (EP). It ends where it meets the A53
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
just outside the village of Hodnet. Before the A53 bypass around the village was built, the A442 continued through Hodnet and joined the A41
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
near Darliston, south of Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
. This section of road however has now been downgraded: most of it is declassified, but part has been reclassifed as part of B5065. However Googlemaps.com
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
is currently still mistakenly listing the now declassified route as still being the A442.
History
From Droitwich to Low Hill (south of Kidderminster), the road is probably ancient, as it is referred to in the Saxon charter for Whitlinge (in HartleburyHartlebury
Hartlebury is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is a few miles south of Kidderminster and is in Wychavon district. The village registered a population of 2,549 in the Census 2001.The railway station is about half a mile to the east of the village....
) dated 980 AD as a stræte. This road was maintained by a Droitwich turpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
trust eatablished in 1755.
North of Kidderminster it was a 'way' in the Saxon bounds of Wolverley
Wolverley
Wolverley is a village, and with Cookley together, a civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. It is located a few miles to the north west of Kidderminster, near the town of Bewdley, and the villages of Kinver and Cookley...
before being joined by the great street at Shatterford. At Shatterford, the Prior of Worcester was authorised to assart 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of wood and heath 'for the greater security of persons going through the said pass. From Shatterford the old course of the road goes through Romsley
Romsley, Shropshire
Romsley is a civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England. It is bounded on the north and west by Alveley and on the south by Upper Arley in Worcestershire. On its short eastern boundary it meets Compton on Kinver...
and Allum Bridge, to rejoin the present road at Quatt
Quatt
Quatt is a small village in Shropshire, England in the Severn Valley. The civil parish, formally known as Quatt Malvern, has a population of 219 according to the 2001 census.It lies on the A442 south of Bridgnorth....
. The old survives as lane and tracks. The present road began life as a new turnpike built in the late 1820s by the Kidderminster turnpike trust, which had been responsible for the road as far as Quatford
Quatford
Quatford is a village in the Severn Valley, Shropshire, England. It is located on the A442, just south of the town of Bridgnorth and on the bank of the River Severn.-History:...
since 1760. Bridgnorth only became the northern end of the road in 1821. The trust remained responsible for the road until 1873.
North of Bridgnorth, the road formed part of the Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
and Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
turnpikes. The Trust was estabnlished in 1763, becoming their third district, when their Act was renewed in 1783. Beyond Sutton Cross in Sutton Maddock the turnpike continued through Shifnal
Shifnal
Shifnal is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It forms part of The Wrekin constituency, and is about east of Telford. It has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line and is near to the M54 motorway.-Early medieval time:...
to Woodcote, where it joined another turnpike (now A41 road
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
). This continuation is now classified as B4379 and as A4169 road.
The stretch immediately beyond Sutton Cross was part of the Madeley
Madeley, Shropshire
Madeley is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, now part of the new town of Telford. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century...
turnpike district, going to the Bucks Head on Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
. This was turnpiked in 1764, continuing southeast to the New Inn on Rudge Heath, but that stretch of road was evidently not in fact improved until the 1960s, when it was upgraded to become B4176. The northern terminus was altered in 1827 when the road from Balls Hill in Dawley
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
to Bucks Head was discontibued in favour of an alternative route to Watling Street. The course of the road was altered again when a new major road was built to take traffic through the built up area of Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
New Town in the 1970s. Some of the old routes have completely disappeared.
The next section of the old route is from Watling Street to the smith's shop at Crudgington
Crudgington
Crudgington is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is situated in the civil parish of Waters Upton, a village to the north, and is 7 miles north-west of Telford...
. The first part of this is now A5223 road, but the new course of A442 then rejoins the old one. This was turnpiked in 1725 with the Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
to Crackley Bank section of Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
.
Further sections of the road are also former turnpikes.