B2027

Junction at Bough Beech

The B2027 is a rural B-road in west Kent.

Route

The road starts at a 'give way' sign on the B2026 between Edenbridge High Street and the railway station and sets off in a northeasterly direction. At the crossroads at the centre of Four Elms village, it turns right at a TOTSO; the other two arms are numbered B269 and B2042.

At Bough Beech we go over and under the London - Tonbridge Railway Line, which we crossed for the first time back in Edenbridge, and then pass Penshurst railway station over a mile later. The B2176 leaves here.

The B2027 passes through the woods and then turns northward in Leigh, finally leaving the railway line behind. It passes under the A21 and the Southeastern Main Line and then terminates in Hildenborough at a 'STOP' sign where it joins the B245, which is the pre-bypass route of the A21.

History

Until the 1970s the B2027 turned right along Five Fields Lane before reaching Four Elms, and the B269 and B2042 both extended slightly beyond the village to meet it. Historical mapping evidence suggests this right turn was always a TOTSO, and nowadays Five Fields Lane is signposted as unsuitable for HGVs.

Interestingly, at the eastern end of Five Fields Lane a modern signpost -- presumably a direct copy of an older sign -- still signs "Edenbridge B2027" down Five Fields Lane and "Four Elms / Westerham B269" straight ahead!

Signpost at junction of Clinton Lane and Five Fields Lane showing old route of B2027