| A214 |
 |
|
|
| From: | Wandsworth (TQ261752) |
| To: | West Wickham, Bromley (TQ382659) |
| Length: | 10.8 miles (17.4 km) |
| Meets: | A217, A3205, A3, B234, B229, B327, A24, B241, B242, A216, A23, A215, B232, A212, A213, A222, B230, A232 |
| Former Number(s): | B233 |
| Primary Destinations |
|
Clapham Junction • |
| Highways Authorities |
|
Transport for London • Surrey
|
| Traditional Counties |
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Surrey
|
| Route outline (key) |
| A214
|
Wandsworth – Streatham
|
| (A23)
|
Streatham
|
| A214
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Streatham – West Wickham
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Route
The A214 starts off very grandly as a small part of the Ringway 1 scheme and is a primary route until we reach Streatham. We leave the roundabout with the A217 and A3205 and take the dual carriageway (Trinity Road) under the London to Reading railway. Next we pass under the only grade separated junction on the A214 as the A205 South Circular and climb up the hill where we pass over several series of lights with the B234 and the B229 and we pass over the mainline from Waterloo to the West Country. Over to our right is Wandsworth Prison and to our right is Wandsworth Common. By now Trinity Road has become traffic clogged S2 and we reach the junction at Tooting Bec with the A24. The Bec part of the name comes from an abbey in Normandy of the same name who were lords of the manor.
The A214 carries straight on along Tooting Bec Road with Tooting Bec Common on our left and we leave the LB of Wandsworth for the LB Lambeth. Eventually we arrive at the traffic clogged Streatham gyratory. The A214 briefly multiplexes with the A23 and then we turn left by the sylvan beauty of Streatham Common. We follow Streatham Common Northside and Crown Lane pass through two sets of lights. The boundary of LBs of Lambeth and Croydon runs down the middle of the A214 until we reach the roundabout with the A212. At the second set of lights we cross over the A215 and go down Crown Dale pass the B232 and then up Central Hill where we join the infamous Upper Norwood gyratory at Westow Hill where we meet the roundabout with the A212. Four LBs meet here and they are Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley and Croydon.
For the rest of our journey we will in the LB Bromley and we take the Anerley Hill. On our left is the small but interesting museum about the Crystal Palace that was destroyed by fire in 1936. Another point of interest, if my sources serve me correct, is that Anerley Hill is where the first road traffic accident took place. The A214 passes over two railways in succession, as Anerley Hill becomes Anerley Road. We meet the A213 at the Robin Hood at Anerley and go straight on to Elmers End Road. In a short while the A214 widens to pass under the Crystal Palace to Beckenham Junction railway plus Croydon Tramlink by Birkbeck station and we are officially in Beckenham. After this we pass the expansive South Norwood Country Park (formerly a sewage works) on our right and then pass over the humped back bridge over the Mid Kent Line to Hayes. A214 turns left at the lines and briefly multiplexes with the A222 along Croydon Road until we reach a large and quite fast roundabout with pretty flowerbeds in the middle. We go almost back on ourselves and take Upper Elmers End Road and we pass under the Mid Kent Line which we shall follow for almost the rest of the journey. We pass Eden Park Station and the A214 becomes Links Way. We meet the B230 at a roundabout and go straight on up South Eden Park Road, past all the large houses, which becomes Beckenham Road. We are now in West Wickham and we go straight on at the traffic lights into Station Road and journeys end the next set of lights on the A232.
Original Author(s): Charles Amis
