The A22 is one of the two-digit major roads in the south east of England. It carries traffic from London to Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast. For part of its route the A22 utilises the turnpikes opened in the 18th century:

• 1718: London to East Grinstead opened
• 1720: road extended through East Grinstead to Highgate Forest Row, the entrance to Ashdown Forest

By 1820 the road ran for 34 miles (54 km) from Stones End Street, Borough, London to Wych Cross. The road was extended north to Westminster Bridge which was later renamed the A23.

Route

Traffic for Eastbourne begins along the A203 through Vauxhall to reach its junction with the A23 road before it travels southwards through Brixton and Streatham passing the site of the old Croydon Aerodrome until, at Purley Cross Junction, south of Purley, the A22 is reached. From here it runs over the North Downs into Surrey and on along the Caterham bypass, one of the oldest such roads in the country with the very early Wapses Lodge roundabout at the northern end. The route from there to Godstone travels, in part, over an erstwhile Roman road. It crosses the M25 London Orbital Motorway just north of Godstone and shortly afterwards the old A25.

Just to the north of East Grinstead the road briefly enters West Sussex at Felbridge. At this point the A264 joins the A22 from Crawley to the west. Immediately north of the town centre the A264 leaves the A22 turning east towards the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, in the county of Kent. East Grinstead town centre itself is bypassed using a disused railway cutting. This stretch of road is called Beeching Way in dubious honour of local resident Richard Beeching whose recommendations in the form of the Beeching Report led to the closure of many branch lines throughout the country, which are sorely missed today as the roads become ever more saturated and the price of oil continues to rise. In 1966 his Beeching axe was responsible for closing this line which originally ran from Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, as well, so allowing its conversion to bypass.

To the south of the town the A22 crosses into East Sussex just north of Forest Row. Between Forest Row and Nutley the road crosses the ancient Ashdown Forest: 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limits exist within the Forest, although not on the A22. At the Wych Cross junction the A275 branches south to Lewes. Between Nutley and Uckfield two important cross country roads cross the path of the A22: the A272 at Maresfield, and the A26: the latter road merges with the A22 for the section round Uckfield. East Hoathly, once on the A22, but now with its own bypass, and Hailsham - also having its own lengthy bypass - leads the road to Polegate. Here the newly-opened junctions with the A27 and further new road building takes the A22 into Eastbourne.

Gallery

<gallery> Image:023444 5fef0e70.jpg|Godstone bypass Image:A22eastbourne.jpg|The A22 in Eastbourne.

Image:023439 19578f83.jpg|The Caterham Bypass Image:A22Stonegate.jpg|At Stonegate Image:Polegate Bypass.JPG|Polegate Bypass

Image:068150_ba19047d.jpg|A22 near Summer Hill, East Sussex </gallery>

See also

• Great Britain road numbering scheme

External links

• SABRE Roads Digest - A22

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