This article is about the original A355, which ran from Sherborne to Durweston, near Blandford. For the current A355, a road between Eton and Amersham, see A355.
Lydlinch
The original A355 was an east-west route in north Dorset.
It started on the A30 at Sherborne and headed roughly eastwards across the Blackmore Vale to Sturminster Newton, before following the River Stour downstream to the A350 at Durweston, near Blandford Forum.
In the renumberings of 1935, it was chopped up and given to other numbers. The section through Sherborne to West Hill near North Wooton was consumed by the extended A352, and the eastern end from Lydlinch to Durweston was given to the A357. This left nearly seven miles in the middle, but the authorities obviously felt it was no longer worthy of a 3-digit number and so this last bit was given the new A3030 number.
The reasons for both of the ends to be renumbered was based on an assessment of vehicle movements - by tonnage - which suggested that the A355 was not used as a through route, carrying significantly less traffic than the routes which took over.
