B156

Cuffley Hill

The B156 is a relatively long B-road running parallel to the M25 for one junction's length.

It starts on the A1000 in Potters Bar and to begin with heads northwards, before zigzagging into Northaw and deciding to head east instead. In Cuffley, it TOTSOs right (straight on is the B157 which takes us back to the A1000) and crosses the railway line by Cuffley station.

Nearly two miles later, a roundabout is reached where the B198 Cheshunt southern bypass leaves us, then shortly after we get to a mini-roundabout. In 1922, the B156 turned right here to reach the A10 in the centre of Cheshunt. Now, however, we turn left to head round the northern side of Cheshunt. The B156 goes under the A10 and then reaches a roundabout with the A1170 and the southbound onslip to the A10. At the next roundabout, the B176 (the original route of the A10) is reached which marks the end of the road.

History

In the (late?) 1970s, with the opening on the Cheshunt Southern Bypass, the A121 was extended along the route of the B156 to meet the A1000 at Potters Bar, almost (but not quite) extinguishing the B156. This was shown on OS Landranger maps of the period, but it is not confirmed whether the numbering appeared on signage. The road was downgraded again at some point presumably following the opening of the M25, becoming the B156 once again - although, not before the opening of the A1178 section that bypassed it.