A47

This article is about the primary road in England.
For the similarly numbered road in Northern Ireland, see A47 (Northern Ireland).

Route

The A47 is a key route connecting Lowestoft, on the east coast of Suffolk, via Great Yarmouth on the east coast of Norfolk, to the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands. However, most of the 17-mile-long section between Nuneaton and Castle Bromwich which was part of the original A47 has now been reclassified as the B4114.

Section 1: Lowestoft - Great Yarmouth

In 2016 it was announced that the A47 would be extended along the former route of the A12 from Great Yarmouth south to Lowestoft. This has meant that the A47 has taken the baton from the A12 as being the most easterly classified road in the UK, as it passes through Lowestoft town centre.

It currently begins just after the harbour and the A12 Bascule Bridge crossing in Lowestoft, but the start may be extended a little further south in 2024 when the A12 is diverted at Waveney Drive to cross the new Gull Wing bridge over the harbour. The A47 then heads north, meeting the A1144 at a roundabout, and shortly afterwards veering north-west. Passing a right-hand turning for the B1385 to Corton, it then heads out of town to meet the A1117 Lowestoft bypass (soon to be the new end for the A12) at a roundabout with the other end of the B1385. At another roundabout it meets the B1375 from Oulton. Other than the bypass of Hopton and some online dualling, there is nothing more to mention along this stretch, before it arrives at a roundabout: going left takes the B1534 and a short cut-through to the A143. Approaching Great Yarmouth, the A47 runs onto the course of the old Lowestoft - Great Yarmouth railway, which takes it away from the main urban area along the Yarmouth Western Bypass opened in 1986. There's a grade separated junction with the A143 from Beccles, and an at grade roundabout with the A1243 going towards the town centre and the seafront. The A47 goes across Breydon Bridge to the east of Breydon Water up to a roundabout just north of Great Yarmouth Station, where turning left follows the A47 along Acle Straight whilst turning right takes the A149 to Caister-on-Sea.

Section 2: Great Yarmouth - Peterborough

The A47 near Brundall

The A47 then runs in a dead-straight line (Acle New Road) across Halvergate Marshes until it reaches a bend to the right with a left turn to Halvergate village and a pub (Stracey Arms) on the corner. It then continues straight again to Acle, which was bypassed in 1989 by a dual carriageway. There's a junction here on a roundabout with the A1064, the old road from Yarmouth to Acle.

The road is single-carriageway again past North Burlingham then it becomes the Blofield bypass (1983), dual carriageway from here, flowing into the Norwich bypass (1992). It's free flowing with intersections for the A140, A146 and A11. This section ends at a roundabout at Easton then it's single carriageway again bypassing Honingham and Hockering (1970). The next newish section is the North Tuddenham bypass (1992), dual carriageway again which flows into the East Dereham bypass (1978). The dual carriageway stops shortly after the intersection with the A1075 and the rest of the bypass past Scarning and Wendling is a dead straight wide concrete single carriageway built on the route of an old railway line.

It continues past Necton then bypasses Swaffham (1981). This is initially single carriageway then dual with an intersection for the A1065. The Swaffham bypass ends at a roundabout with the A1122 (built to replace a notorious right turn across the dual carriageway) then it's back to single carriageway until the Hardwick Roundabout at King's Lynn. A flyover constructed in the early 2000s takes the A47 over the roundabout where it meets the A10 and A149.

The King's Lynn southern bypass (1975) ends at a roundabout. The A47 turns left and the A17 goes straight ahead (although it originally ran along the current A47 to Swaffham). Another section of dual carriageway was fully opened in 1996 to bypass the villages of Walpole, Terrington and Tilney, and this runs into the single carriageway Wisbech bypass (1984). We're well and truly into flat Fenland now and continue to Guyhirn (recently bypassed) and turn right at a roundabout for the next stretch to Peterborough.

Section 3: Peterborough - Nuneaton

At Peterborough the A47 spawns the A16 (heading to Spalding, Boston and Grimsby) at a roundabout, and then crosses the A15. Once upon a time it passed close to Peterborough Cathedral; nowadays it sweeps around the northern side of the city mostly in tree-lined cutting so that you hardly see even a house.

Our route westward continues on a dual carriageway with grade-separated crossings… which grinds to a halt at a little roundabout four miles further on. The next mile and a half to the A1 junction is poorly aligned single carriageway which sees frequent accidents (and the employment of that little roundabout to turn traffic round and send it back to Peterborough: the only other alternative is a narrow lane where two tractors meeting would mean total gridlock). Just before that island, though, you might care to look out for where Ermine Street crosses, running SE-NW (the A1 has abandoned it at this point: the Roman road is just an extra-wide hedge).

We bridge the A1 at Wansford (the A47 on a more northerly, the A1 on a more easterly, alignment than when they were first numbered). The intersections here, which were as far as the A47 was concerned, plain T- and X-junctions (and highly dangerous) have recently been replaced by roundabouts at each end of the bridge. The dual carriageway between the two extremities of the overbridge retains its 60 mph speed limit, which seems a bit pointless for a section no more than 200 yards long.

It's single carriageway now (with the odd crawler-lane) all the way to Nuneaton. From Wansford to Duddington roundabout (A43) we cross the low ridge between the Nene and Welland valleys. Much of the land to the left is given over to quarrying; to the right is Wittering RAF base from which low-flying Harrier jump-jets used to hover alarmingly close to the road.

At Duddington we cross the Welland and are in Rutland ("Multum in Parvo" say the signs: much in little). From here to Leicester the A47 is in large part a ridgeway and there are some good views to be had on fine days. In particular look out, after climbing the hill beyond Tixover, for the Harringworth railway viaduct down in the valley to your left – especially when driving into the evening sun. At Morcott (after the windmill) the B672/A6121 Caldecott – Stamford road crosses in a dogleg. Old maps show this was once a plain crossroads, with the present B672 passing the other side of the houses on the south side of the A47.

The Rugby – Stamford railway line once crossed our route here too, in a tunnel underneath Morcott crossroads. Up the hill, just before entering the village of Glaston, the line we might have seen crossing that viaduct earlier passes beneath the A47. This railway is still open but sees only occasional passenger traffic connecting Oakham with Corby and places south.

The A47 next skirts Uppingham (very few places remain unbypassed on this section of the A47, which means that roadside hostelries are few and far between!). We cross the A6003 Kettering – Oakham road, shortly after which there is a steep descent past Wardley, now on a dead end but formerly on a loop off the narrower and twistier, alignment of the old A47. This tiny village, it seems, once suffered from car drivers attempting to overtake slow-moving lorries on the main road by diverting through it at high speed!

The A47 past East Norton

Crossing the Eye Brook, we enter Leicestershire and begin climbing again, past East Norton (bypassed), Tugby, and Skeffington (unusual signs here which flash a warning when a vehicle is approaching the junction, on the inside of a blind bend, between the side road to the village itself and the main road). Some 35 miles or so since leaving Peterborough we now reach the summit of the section, at around 200 m above sea level, and cross the Jurassic Way (at this point occupied by the present-day B6047 Market Harborough – Melton Mowbray road). So far all the streams we have encountered have run towards the Wash (via Welland and Nene); from now any water on our road will reach the North Sea by way of the Trent and its tributaries.

After Billesdon, bypassed and unseen on our left, and Houghton on the Hill, then Thurnby our route is now largely a descent into the City of Leicester. Although it once went straight through the middle of the city along Humberstone Gate and High Street, the A47 now dies temporarily at its junction with the A594 Leicester Inner Ring Road.

When born again on the other side of Leicester, the A47 is no longer a main through route, its function of serving Birmingham having now been taken over by the M69 and M6. It still however crosses the now rather flatter Leicestershire countryside, Hinckley-bound.

Next up on the route is the Earl Shilton Bypass, opened in 2009. Here we pass a junction with the B581.

Shortly after the B581 junction, the A47 strikes off on a new course: the Hinckley bypass, with a junction midway with the A447. Look out, when cresting the hill just after the second roundabout beyond the A447 junction, for the biggest of the "Warwickshire pyramids" (old mining spoil-tips) across the valley: at 2 o'clock in Biggles-speak. You'll pass right by this if you decide to follow the old A47 (now B4114) beyond Nuneaton.

The final part of the Hinckley bypass is, in fact, an industrial estate road which was there before the bypass was built. After that we dogleg (roundabout) right - (T-junction) left across Watling Street (the A5 and the Leics/Warks boundary) and head for Nuneaton along the road called "The Long Shoot". And so, at Nuneaton – the "Birmingham bit" (which has moved twice in recent years) notwithstanding – we reach (at the A444) the end of the continuous A47.

Section 4: Nuneaton - Birmingham

Beyond Nuneaton, most of the original A47 to Birmingham has been reclassified as the B4114. However, the A47 mysteriously pops up again at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, just north of M6 junction 5, at a junction with the A452. Here the road is dual-carriageway and non-primary, running slightly north of its original route (which is still the B4114).

As the "Fort Parkway" it curves slightly to the right to run adjacent to the railway and M6, coming to the A4040 roundabout where it crosses beneath the M6. At the B4137 roundabout at Nechells it bends to the left, becoming the "Heartlands Parkway" running alongside the Grand Union Canal to Saltley, where it finally rejoins its original route and the B4114 is subsumed into a multiplex.

The final section runs along Saltley Road and the Nechells Parkway, to end on the A4540 Middleway - straight ahead, Jennens Road is the released B4114.

History

A47 historic route

The A47 originally started at a triple point in Great Yarmouth with the A12 and A1026 and ran to Acle via Caster-on-Sea (then known as Caister next Yarmouth). It was rerouted onto the Acle Straight in 1935.

The original route through Norwich was via Thorpe Road, Bank Plain (where it met the A11), St Andrews Street, St Benedicts Street and Dereham Road.

Originally, the A47 ran from Swaffham to Wisbech via Downham Market, along what is now the A1122. It was rerouted via King's Lynn on 1st April, 1933, taking over the original east end of the A17. South of Wisbech, the it ran via Wisbech St Mary, along what is now an unclassified road. This is because there was no bridge at Guyhirn until 1927.

The original, pre new town route in Peterborough was via Eye Road, Eastfield Road and Thorpe Road.

The main stretch of road between Leicester, and Uppingham had been built as a turnpike road in the 1750s. It was improved in stages throughout the 1980s.

First to open was the Uppingham bypass in 1982, cutting three miles and a steep hill off the journey; it's hard to imagine why it didn't open sooner. New S3 bypasses were opened at Billesdon, in 1986, and Wardley, in 1987. Both of these too are located on steep hills, which had direct connections to their villages. Wardley, in particular, was notorious for lorries slipping, and sliding in icy weather - as well as the village road being used as a rat-run (see above). The bypassed sections are still in use for access, although as no through roads.

Finally, a much welcomed bypass of East Norton opened in 1990, meaning that traffic lights could be removed from the village. Duddington was also bypassed in 1975. At many other places, bend improvements have taken place, particularly Belton-in-Rutland, and Tixover.

The northern bypass of Peterborough was built between 1972 and 1974. The grade-separated junction with the A15 (J18) was immediately named Rhubarb Bridge by locals, because of the embankments leading up to the old railway bridge on the spot that had been demolished 10 years earlier had been created from earth previously used to grow rhubarb - and not all the plants had been removed before the embankment was built resulting in extensive growth of the rhubarb in an odd location! Until 1991, the route then followed the current A15 eastbound, and A1139 - until the Eye bypass was completed.

Hinckley Northern Perimeter Road was opened on 28 March 1996.

The A47 east of Birmingham in 1956

In 1922 the A47 entered Birmingham along Coleshill Street (which has now been bypassed by Nechells Parkway and Jennens Road) before turning along Dale End to end on the A41 High Street. It later gained a link along James Watt Street (now largely buried under the Law Courts) to reach Corporation Street (whose most likely number is A34). With the construction of the Birmingham Inner Ring Road in the 1970s the road was cut back to Masshouse Circus and then cut back again to the Middleway in 2002 when the junction was demolished.

Heading east, the A47 originally ran along Washwood Heath Road and Chester Road before reaching Coleshill. Part of this section featured a multiplex with the A452; although the A47 was initially dominant the A452 had taken over by the 1950s - and then the A47 got it back in the 1970s when the bypass was built. Soon afterwards the A47 east of the A452 was downgraded but the road still followed more-or-less its original route in this area until the 2000s when the current route was built (although it still disappears on the A452).

In 2017, Highways England's plan to renumber the section of road between the A47 and A12's end Great Yarmouth, and end of the trunk road in Lowestoft, as an extension of the A47 took physical form. On the 16th of January, a 12-week resigning programme began, putting stickers on signs to show the renumbering, though replacing signs near the end of their life.[1]

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
1923	Castle Bromwich Bypass	Bradford Road and Newport Road were opened on 8 December 1923 by Lord Algernon Percy, Chairman of Warwickshire County Council. It involved 1.14 mile of new highway on the eastern side and 0.85 mile of existing throughfare being widened and improved. Width between fences was 60 feet (80 feet near the Birmingham boundary) with a 30 foot carriageway. Contractor was H. Coxhead and Co. Ltd, Middlesborough. Part was A452.
1965	Wansford Northern Bypass	The flyover over A1 was fully opened on 15 February 1965, the eastbound lane had opened on 22 January 1965. This completed the 1.25 mile bypass, the roads either side of the bridge having been in use by September 1964 for the diversions when the bridge beams were put in place. A single 24 foot carriageway, apart from bridge and approaches which had dual 24 foot carriageways and a 28 foot central reservation to allow for turning traffic at the slip roads. The bridge had a central pre-stressed span of 96 feet and end spans of 45 feet in reinforced concrete. Its design had been approved by the Royal Fine Art Commission. Contractor was Cementation Company Ltd., tender price £249,885.
1970	Honingham Bypass	Shown on July 1970 OS Route Planner map. Was under construction on December 1969 OS one inch map.
1972	Peterborough Northern Bypass	Stage 1: Soke Parkway (west section) from A47 Thorpe Wood Interchange to A15 Lincoln Road was opened on 5 October 1972. The 3 mile dual carriageway cost £2 million. It included a new bridge over the East Coast Main Line, two other road bridges, two footbridges, five pedestrian subways and a big footbridge complex at Lincoln Road Interchange. It was the first section of a 34 mile planned parkway system, as the city was expected to double in size over the next 15 years. The Parkway name came from the intensive tree and shrub planting along them. Unclassified until the bypss completion.
1974-75	Peterborough Northern Bypass	Stage 2: Soke Parkway (east section) from A15 Lincoln Road to Eye Road. The eastern part is now part of Paston Parkway. Shown on April 1975 OS Quarter inch map, not on March 1974 edition.
1975	King's Lynn Southern Bypass	The 2 mile road from Pullover Farm, south of Pullover Roundabout to Hardwick Roundabout was opened on 22 May 1975 by Neil Carmichael, Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for Department of Environment. Dual carriageway. It had included 2 nine month settlement periods for embankments due to poor soil conditions and this resulted in the works taking 3 years. Ouse Bridge needed 76 steel “H” piles for the bed of each pier. Contractor was W. and C. French (Construction) Ltd., cost £4.7 million.
1978	East Dereham Bypass	The 7.3 mile D2 / S2 road was completed in March 1978 per the Policy for Roads: England 1980 Report. Outturn works cost £5.4 million.
1981	Swaffham Bypass	Opened on 22 June 1981 per the Department of Transport compensation notice. Some stretches had opened earlier, the section from A1122 junction to Lynn Road interchange opening after the 1980 August Bank Holiday. 4.6 miles, dual carriageway west of 0.3 mile west of Sporle Road. Contractor was Reed and Mallik. In May 1981, on a presumably unopened section, a stunt for the TV series “Tales of the Unexpected” entitled “Death can Add” went wrong when a blazing car, which should have plunged off an embankment, sped towards the TV crew who had to leap for their lives. Nobody was hurt. The road had been adapted to look like a motorway near London for the scene. Signs for Cromer and Fakenham had been changed to Reigate and Gatwick Airport.
1982	Uppingham Bypass	Was due to be opened on 30 June 1982 by David Radford, Chairman of the County Council, Environment Committee. Contractor was Contractor was D & H (Contractors) Cambridge Ltd., cost £1.35 million.
1983	Blofield Bypass	The 1 mile D2 dual carriageway was completed in February 1983 per the Policy for Roads in England: 1983 Report. Outturn works cost £4 million.
1984	Wisbech Bypass	Also Walton Highway Bypass. The 5.9 mile single carriageway road from Cromwell Road (SW Wisbech) to Lynn Road (W of Walpole Highway) was opened on 28 June 1984 by Frances Roualle and Robert James, Chairpersons of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire County Councils. Contractor was May Gurney of Norwich, total cost £6.3 million.
1986	Great Yarmouth Bypass	Vauxhall Roundabout to Harfreys Roundabout. Fully opened on 24 March 1986 (May 1985 for the section south of Gapton Hall Roundabout) per the 17 September 2013 Eastern Daily Press. Total cost £19 million. It included the 247m Breydon Bridge over River Yare with 8 approach spans and a 31m span bascule bridge, constructed by The Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co. Ltd..
1986	Billesdon Bypass	Opened on 15 October 1986 per the Land Compensation Act notice. 7.3m single carriageway. Contractor was Galliford and Sons Ltd., contract price £2.1 million.
1987	Wardley Hill Improvement	The 1.4 mile offline and 0.6 mile online road, including climbing lane, from east of Alexton to east of Wardley was opened on 13 October 1987 per the Noise Insulation Regulations Act notice. Contractor was Galliford and sons of Wolvey, outturn works cost £1.9 million.
1987	Postwick - Blofield Dualling	The 1.1 mile D2 online dualling was completed in November 1987 (per the Trunk Roads, England, into the 1990's Report). Outturn works cost £1.2 million.
1989	Acle Bypass	The 2.3 mile dual carriageway was opened on 14 March 1989 by Peter Bottomley, Roads Minister per the 19 March 2009 Great Yarmouth Mercury. Cost £7.6 million.
1990	Easton Hornstocks Bend Improvement	The 0.6 mile road from west of Collyweston Crossroads to east of Wittering Lodge was opened on 27 July 1990 per the Land Compensation Act notice.
1990	Guyhirn Bridge Diversion	The new bridge was opened on 12 October 1990 by Malcolm Moss, MP for North East Cambridgeshire. It included the improvement of the former A141 on the east bank of the River Nene to connect with the A47 by the site of the old bridge. Total length 0.4 mile. Contractor was Beazer Construction East Anglia (formerly Kier Construction) of Wisbech, contract price £3.65 million including removal of the old bridge.
1990	East Norton Bypass	The 1 mile single carriageway road with climbing lane from near Grange Cottages to west of Station Cottages opened on 27 November 1990 per the Land Compensation Act notice. Tender cost £1.2 million.
1991	Castor and Ailsworth Bypass	The 4 mile road was opened on 11 September 1991 by Norma Major, Prime Minister's wife. Contractor was Roadworks (1952) Ltd., works cost £9 million.
1991	Eye Bypass	The 3 mile road from Dogsthorpe Roundabout (then known as Paston Interchange) to Catswater Farm was opened on 2 October 1991 by Malcolm Moss, MP, and Robert James, Chairman of Cambridgeshire Transport Services Committee. Contractor was Redland Aggregates, cost £7.5 million.
1992	North Tuddenham Bypass	The 3.4 mile dual carriageway from the East Dereham Bypass, at Mattishall Road Bridge, to Lyng Road was opened on 19 August 1992 per the Noise Insulation Regulations notice. Tender cost £6.9 million, outturn cost £9 million.
1992	Norwich Southern Bypass	Easton to Postwick. Opened in September 1992 per Hansard. Four contracts, tender works cost £61.2 million.
1992	Narborough Bypass	Opened on 2 November 1992 per the Noise Insulations Regulations notice. In February 1992 Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind announced that it would be dual carriageway, and the contractor had arranged for the additional land to be available to buy, but a month later it was announced that there were EC technical and legal reasons stopping this. Contractor was May Gurney, tender cost £2.24 million.
1996	Walpole, Terrington and Tilney Bypass	Walpole Highway, Terrington St. Lawrence and Tilney High End Bypass. The 6.3 mile dual carriageway was opened on 25 March 1996 by John Watts, Transport Minister. A 2.5 mile section had opened earlier. After opening there was a short section of contraflow at the eastern end whilst the junction tie in was completed. Contractor was May Gurney, tender price £23.5 million.
1996	Hinckley Northern Perimeter Road	Normandy Way. Stages 11 and 12 (1.6 miles) from just east of Cornwall Way (E of Ashby Road) to Leicester Road (and the single lane dualling there) were opened on 28 March 1996 to complete the bypass. 10m carriageway with footway and cycleway. Contractor was Alfred McAlpine, cost £3 million.
1998	Heartlands Spine Road	Heartlands Parkway and Fort Parkway. The 4 mile dual carriageway with cycleway from Nechells Parkway to Spitfire Island, Chester Road (A452) was officially opened on 13 July 1998 by Susan Anderson, Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Parts may have opened earlier. Costing £110 million, it was then the largest project of its kind to have been built by the Council.
2005	Thorney Bypass	The 3 mile dual carriageway was opened on 14 December 2005 by Alistair Darling, Transport Secretary. Contractor was Birse, cost £28 million.
2009	Earl Shilton Bypass	Clickers Way. The 2.85 mile road was fully opened on 27 March 2009 by Geoff Hoon, Transport Secretary. A 0.5 mile section between Carrs Hill at the western end and Elmesthorpe Lane had opened in October 2008. The single carriageway was 9.3m wide. Contractor McAlpines, cost £16 million. Earl Shilton and Barwell played a massive role in the boot and shoe industry and so the road was named after a clicker, who cut the leather shapes that were later sewn together to make the shoe upper.

Links

National Highways

Blofeld to North Burlingham

• Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling Consultation  March 2017 (archive.org)

• Preferred Route Announcement  August 2017 (archive.org)

• Consultation Report  August 2017 (archive.org)

Guyhirn Junction IMprovement

• Guyhirn Junction Improvements  March 2017 (archive.org)

• Preferred Route Announcement  August 2017 (archive.org)

• Consultation Report  August 2017 (archive.org)

North Tuddenham to Easton

• North Tuddenham to Easton consultation  March 2017 (archive.org)

• Preferred Route Announcement  August 2017 (archive.org)

• Consultation Report  August 2017

• Project Update  Winter 2020 (archive.org)

Wansford to Sutton

• Wansford to Sutton consultation  March 2017 (archive.org)

• Preferred Route Announcement  August 2017 (archive.org)

• Consultation Report  August 2017

legislation.gov.uk

• The A47 Trunk Road (Leicester to A1) (Detrunking) Order 2004 - Detrunking of the Leicester to A1 section of the A47 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England

• The A47 Trunk Road (Thorney Bypass) (Detrunking) Order 2003 - This detrunks the old road following opening of the Thorney Bypass

• The A47 Trunk Road (Thorney Bypass) Order 2003 - This provides the legal orders for the Thorney Bypass

• The A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Development Consent Order 2022

• The A47 North Tuddenham to Easton Development Consent Order 2022

• The A47 North Tuddenham to Easton Development Consent (Correction) Order 2023

• The A47 Wansford to Sutton Development Consent Order 2023

• The A47 Wansford to Sutton (Corrections) Order 2023

• The A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Development Consent (Correction) Order 2023