A1088
A1088 | ||||||||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||||||||
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From: | Thetford (TL880829) | |||||||||
To: | Woolpit (TL974629) | |||||||||
Via: | Ixworth | |||||||||
Distance: | 15.1 miles (24.3 km) | |||||||||
Meets: | A1066, A143, A14 | |||||||||
Former Number(s): | B1112 | |||||||||
Primary Destinations | ||||||||||
Highway Authorities | ||||||||||
Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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The A1088 is a cross-country A-road in East Anglia. Originally the B1112, it received its current number in the mid-1920s.
The road starts at a roundabout on the A1066 on the eastern edge of Thetford, at the point where that road leaves the relief road to rejoin its original route. The A1088 heads roughly southeastwards, along a straight, flat road across the fields before crossing a bridge over the narrow Little Ouse River, which marks the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk for the majority of its length. We therefore pass into the latter.
A few hundred yards further on we reach our first village, Euston. The local peer also owned land in London and named a new road (now the A501) and the area around it after this village. There is a straight section across an attractive expanse of grass leading to gates for Euston Hall; we turn sharply right here and skirt the edge of the estate, bearing left again after crossing the Black Bourn. After a few more (less sharp) bends a straight section of road leads to the next village, Fakenham Magna, which is much smaller than its name suggests.
Continuing south, there are another couple of small villages before we reach Ixworth. The A1088 originally went through the centre but we now bear left onto the northern bypass and soon reach a roundabout on the A143 eastern bypass (we did cross the old line of that road, which has been closed to traffic and is not visible from the A1088). A short multiplex south along the A143 leads us to a second roundabout where we turn left and regain our number. Incidentally, there has always been a multiplex here, although originally it was along the High Street.
We continue roughly southwards across the fields, with one particularly sharp corner, near Stowlangtoft, now turned into a layby. We pass through the scattered village of Norton before going under the Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich railway line. Shortly afterwards we leave our original route again. That joined the then-A45 to the west of Woolpit. We head further east to reach a roundabout providing access to the eastbound slip roads for the A14 at J47. Our road turns right and crosses the A14 before ending at the westbound slip roads. The road ahead into the village is unclassified.