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A343

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A343
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (6)
From:  Lopcombe Corner (SU248354)
To:  Newbury (SU472666)
Via:  Andover
Distance:  26.7 miles (43 km)
Meets:  A30, A303, A342, A3093, A3057, A34, A339
Former Number(s):  A30, B3052
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Hampshire  • West Berkshire  • Wiltshire

Traditional Counties

Berkshire • Hampshire • Wiltshire

Route outline (key)
A343 Lopcombe Corner - Andover Bypass
(A303) Andover Bypass
A343 Andover Bypass - Newbury

Route

The A343 is a cross-country A-road in southern England. It is largely unchanged since its original numbering in the 1922 Road Lists, and links the towns of Newbury and Andover with Salisbury.

Lopcombe Corner - Andover

Milestone near Middle Wallop

Although the route originally began just outside Salisbury, it was cut back early on to begin on the A30 at Lopcombe Corner, just inside the Wiltshire border. It does so as part of a TOTSO with the London-to-Cornwall road, taking the mainline from the A30 as that route turns right towards Stockbridge and Basingstoke. It follows a fairly straight S2 alignment, and passes through a series of Wallops - Over, Nether and Middle - crossing over Wallop Brook in the process. At Kentsboro, it reaches the Army Aviation Centre, the home of Historic Army Aviation Flight [HAAF], and the B3084 departs from the left for a village with the unlikely name of Palestine.

The road then continues along its reasonably straight course over the hills, passing between more curiously named settlements - Abbotts Ann, Little Ann, Anna Valley, and Red Rice - before meeting the A303 at a trumpet junction on the Andover bypass.

Andover - Newbury

The A343 negotiates Andover in a rather convoluted way. From the trumpet where it meets the A303, it multiplexes briefly with that road towards the west, until the next junction round where the A342 terminates and our road resumes. The A343 then acts as part of a northern ring road for Andover town centre, running through a series of roundabouts past Charlton and Anton Lakes. When it reaches the Folly Roundabout, it disappears in another multiplex, this time hiding behind the A3057 along Northern Avenue. Why the road loses its number to the A3057 is not clear, because there is more than one road bearing that number in the town, and it terminates here. The A343, however, reappears at the Enham Arch Roundabout, and heads north along a brief stretch of dual-carriageway to Enham Alamein.

History
Lesson
The unusual name of this village stems from the fact that it was one of the original 'Village Centres' chosen for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers returning from the the First World War. Originally funded by King George V, the former soldiers were trained in such crafts as basketry, upholstery, and gardening. During the Second World War, some of those injured at the Battle of El Alamein were similarly brought there for recuperation. In 1945 the 'Village Centre' received a subscription from Egypt in gratitude for Britain's role in defending their country against Axis forces, and 'Alamein' was duly added to the village’s name.
Hurstbourne Tarrant

Returning to the countryside, the A343 enters the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, running through woodland before encountering a sharp drop down towards Hurstbourne Tarrant. While passing through the village, the road crosses the River Swift and also encounters the B3048, which sets off via a T-junction to the south-east in the direction of the A303.

Our road climbs out of the village and heads once again into thick woodland. It heads through a further village, Highclere, and more woodland, before arriving at a GSJ with the A34 Newbury Bypass. This junction features some really tight entry and exit lanes, and the A343 passes beneath the newer and more important road. It then enters the urban sprawl of Newbury itself, heading through leafy suburbs into the centre of the town, where it terminates on the original alignment of the A34, which is today an extension of the A339.

History

In 1922, the A343 where the modern-day A338 and A30 now meet on the edge of Salisbury. It ran along what is now the A30 to Lopcombe Corner. The creation of the A303 resulted in the rerouting of the A30 to avoid Andover in 1933, and this caused the A343 to be cut back to its current starting point; this explains why the A343 takes the main line of the road from Salisbury to Andover.




A343
Junctions
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (6)
Milestone near Middle Wallop - Geograph - 1716275.jpgSt John the Evangelist, Newbury - Geograph - 2032918.jpgHurstbourne Tarrant - Road into Hurstborne Tarrant - Geograph - 1674482.jpgEnham Arch Roundabout, Andover - Geograph - 4469810.jpgLopcombe Corner 1930s.jpg
Other nearby roads
Andover
A303 • A342 • A344 • A3057 • A3093 • B3042 (Hampshire) • B3049 (Bullington Cross - Andover) • B3050 • B3400 • B3402 • B3420 • Harroway • RM4
Newbury
A300-A399
A300 • A301 • A302 • A303 • A304 • A305 • A306 • A307 • A308 • A309 • A310 • A311 • A312 • A313 • A314 • A315 • A316 • A317 • A318 • A319
A320 • A321 • A322 • A323 • A324 • A325 • A326 • A327 • A328 • A329 • A330 • A331 • A332 • A333 • A334 • A335 • A336 • A337 • A338 • A339
A340 • A341 • A342 • A343 • A344 • A345 • A346 • A347 • A348 • A349 • A350 • A351 • A352 • A353 • A354 • A355 • A356 • A357 • A358 • A359
A360 • A361 • A362 • A363 • A364 • A365 • A366 • A367 • A368 • A369 • A370 • A371 • A372 • A373 • A374 • A375 • A376 • A377 • A378 • A379
A380 • A381 • A382 • A383 • A384 • A385 • A386 • A387 • A388 • A389 • A390 • A391 • A392 • A393 • A394 • A395 • A396 • A397 • A398 • A399
St Peters Way  Motorways: A308(M) • A329(M)  Earlier Itineraries: A303 • A326 • A331 • A333 • A341 • A346 • A355 • A364 • A369 • A374 • A378 • A392 • A397


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