A313
From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
| A313 | ||||
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| From: | Hampton Hill (TQ136715) | |||
| To: | Teddington (TQ166713) | |||
| Length: | 2 miles (3.2 km) | |||
| Meets: | A312, A311, B358, A309, A310 | |||
| Highways Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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Route
Following the A312 from Apex Corner (the A316 junction) towards Hampton, a mini-roundabout marks the beginning of the A313, which turns off to the left along Park Road to meet the A311 Hampton High Street at the traffic lights at Hampton Hill. (The "Hill" is (presumably) higher than Hampton Village, by the Thames, but there are no significant gradients involved). The A313 continues to Teddington, where there is a very awkward skew junction with the B358 (a busy cut-through from Kingston to the A316 avoiding Hampton) before arriving in the centre of Teddington at Broad Street. A steep bridge carries the A313 and A309 in a short multiplex over the railway, before the A313 continues as Teddington High Street.
Lesson
The A313 ends at the junction with the A310. However, this is a crossroads, and the road ahead leads to a bridge across the Thames. Let's go and see why the A313 doesn't use the bridge. On the right, we will pass Teddington TV studios, once belonging to the now-defunct Thames TV and now independent. They have been the home of "Opportunity Knocks", "Magpie", "The Benny Hill Show", "The Morecambe and Wise Show", "Rainbow", "This is Your Life", "Diggit" (the Children's Programme), "The Office" and many more. On the building, facing Broom Road, is an impressive row of blue plaques to famous comedians. Having looked at these, if we return back along Broom Road and then continue along the extended line of the A313, we come very quickly to Teddington Bridge, which crosses Teddington lock, the lowest lock on the Thames and thus the limit of the tidal navigation. The locks (there are two parallel ones) are much larger than most Thames locks, as they had to accommodate colliers travelling upstream to the electricity generating station and the gas works at Kingston. However, you will have to leave your car to cross the bridge and look at the locks, as Teddington's bridge is not built for vehicular traffic. To drive to the other side requires a long detour via Kingston or Richmond.
Swindon
There appears to be another A313, in Swindon. Despite this apparently being an error for A4313, the reference to the A313 number is used in many places, including in a Swindon Borough Council document. However, the road is signed as A4313 on the ground.
An image has been requested for this article.
Links
Original Author(s): Tim Lidbetter
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