A4189
| A4189 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | Redditch (SP045659) | |||
| To: | Warwick (SP279647) | |||
| Distance: | 15.8 miles (25.4 km) | |||
| Meets: | A448, A441, A435, A3400, A429 | |||
| Former Number(s): | B4095 | |||
| Primary Destinations | ||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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The A4189 forms the direct route between Redditch and Warwick. It was originally numbered B4095; the section in Redditch became the A4189 first, as part of the generation of the New Town, then the remainder followed somewhat later.
Route
The road starts on the Redditch Cloverleaf as the eastern continuation of the A448 (which starts to multiplex with the A441 at this point). It heads east along the D2 Warwick Highway, a typical New Town distributor which is even grade-separated, at least to begin with. After crossing the River Arrow the two carriageways split and reach an at-grade roundabout. In fact, the split was once considerably greater as the eastbound carriageway detoured to the north as part of a GSJ where only the slip roads were built. Construction of the supermarket here removed this interesting, if bizarre, piece of road.
The Warwick Highway continues on the far side of the roundabout, which serves the B4497. The road is now an even-more-typical New Town distributor: S2 but with space reserved for dualling that never took place; this is especially obvious at the bridges. We then reach a large roundabout with an unclassified road and then a smaller one on the A435; this marks the original eastern end of the A4189.
From this point on the road is not part of the New Town new-build and so the quality changes considerably. We're still reasonably wide and straight for a short distance but the bends soon come. There's a detour north as if to serve Ullenhall then we return south as if the road decided not to go there after all. The road then goes through Oldberrow, which appears to consist of little more than a church, before winding on to go under the Birmingham to Stratford railway line and entering Henley-in-Arden. We run along New Road (which isn't) and cross the A3400 at traffic lights.
The A4189 continues east along Warwick Road. We cross the River Alne before leaving town, then the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal a mile or so further on. The next village is Claverdon and we pass to the north of the village centre and re-enter open country before reaching Claverdon station, where we go over the Stratford to Leamington line. The road continues due eastwards and climbs to cross over the M40 although there is no junction here. The B4463 then bears off to the right to meet the motorway and we continue on. There's a bridge over the A46 Warwick bypass (also accessible via the B4463) and we enter town.
To begin with the road remains semi-rural: there are open fields to the left and the houses to the right are not accessible from the A4189. When houses do appear on the right they're accessed by a service road. We then pass the racecourse and a cricket field, after which we do get buildings fronting the road on both sides. The road bears to the right onto Friars Street to reach a T-junction on Bowling Green Street. We TOTSO right here and end immediately afterwards at a further T-junction on the A429 adjacent to the Lord Leycester Hospital on the southern edge of the town centre.
History
See Redditch for the history of the Henley Highway and Warwick Highway.
