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B3004

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B3004
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (6)
From:  Liphook (SU839315)
To:  Alton (SU734403)
Distance:  11.7 miles (18.8 km)
Meets:  B2070, B2131, B3002, A325, A31
Highway Authorities

Hampshire

Traditional Counties

Hampshire

Route outline (key)
B3004 Liphook - Lindford
(B3002) Lindford
B3004 Lindford - Sleaford
(A325) Sleaford
B3004 Sleaford - Alton

Route

The B3004 is a back route in Hampshire, running roughly north-south.

It starts at The Square in Liphook on the B2070, this road being the pre-bypass A3. Until the bypass opened in 1993, the B3004 began on the A3 itself and then headed north; now the A3 has moved it appears to begin out-of-zone.

The road heads north, making short work of the village, soon crossing the A3 without a junction. The speed limit rises to 40mph here, though initially it's inadvisable to pick up too much pace because the road makes a sharp turn first to the left and then the right. As it opens out into the countryside, the 40 limit remains, but often now feels quite restrictive on what is a quiet and undemanding road through the woods. At Passfield there is a village shop and a cluster of houses around the Green, before the road crosses Passfield Common and enters the village of Standford.

There are a few more houses here, and a little chapel, but not much else. The road now joins the path of the River Wey, which runs on the left hand side for a little while until the next village, Lindford. At the entrance to the village, a one-way road leads off to the left, seemingly a shortcut to Bordon, but in truth passing through a ford which is not for everyone in wet weather.

Lindford itself is fairly substantial, with a village centre worthy of the name. Near the shops and the Royal Exchange pub, the B3002 arrives on the right from Headley, and shares the road ahead for a little while. Most maps show the multiplex as belonging to the B3004, but signs on the ground are more varied and some suggest the B3002 takes preference.

Leaving the village, a sweeping left hand turn leads to the junction with Broxhead Farm Road on the right. The B3002 and B3004 part ways here, the latter turning right, but through traffic heading for Alton would be best advised to stay straight on: following Broxhead Farm Road northwards, a pleasant run across Broxhead Common leads to the A325 where northbound traffic can only turn left, doubling back to return to Bordon and the B3002. This turning restriction serves to make the junction much safer, but effectively severs the B3004 as a through route for northbound traffic, which now has to head in to Bordon and pick up the A325 further south. Southbound traffic trying to follow the B3004 can still do so uninterrupted.

The road follows the A325 for a short distance through the hamlet of Sleaford, to a set of traffic lights where it departs to the left on Forge Road. There's a little burst of what looks like a fast and modern road here, but it lasts only a few moments before the road enters Kingsley, a pleasant village that is strung out over quite a long length of the route. There's a village hub here, a handsome church, a pub and a little industrial estate, making it a lively place considering its size.

B3004 at Kingsley

Emerging from the village, the B3004 is now Green Street, and after wriggling left and right a little there's a burst of fast, open road. This section is a little curious; it runs the length of a narrow strip of woodland, which is home to a series of teepees on the right, and on the left a place known as Hadeeqatul Mahdi: signs helpfully indicate that it was formerly called Oaklands Farm. This is the site of the annual Jalsa Salana, an event that sees thousands of followers of the Ahhmadiyya Muslim community descend on the farmland beside the B3004 for several days every July. For a brief period every year this sleepy B-road becomes extraordinarily busy, complete with park and ride facilities from nearby villages.

The road now mounts Worldham Hill, a long and steady climb into the village of East Worldham. The steep hill is entirely within a 30 limit, which tends to be well observed on the northbound side, but treated a little more fluidly by southbound drivers enjoying the downhill slope.

There is little to East Worldham beyond its church, pub and steep hill. The B3004 now becomes Cakers Lane, and begins a prolonged but much less steep descent into Alton, crossing Cakers Lane Bridge just before ducking beneath the A31 Alton Bypass. There's no interchange here, though, and the B-road continues into town in order to find onward connections.

After passing the Omega Park business estate, the B3004 reaches a staggered crossroads with Ashdell Road on the left and the station just ahead. It makes a right turn here into Mill Lane, initially flanked by houses but quickly emerging into a sizeable industrial district. Towards the end of the industrial buildings, a watercourse joins the line of the road on its left hand side: this is the other, northern, branch of the River Wey: it, and the one that ran alongside the B3004 back in Standford, will eventually converge at Tilford in Surrey.

Mill Lane ends at a give way line, where it turns right onto the improbably-named Montecchio Way, a short link road that emerges at a large roundabout marking the northern end of the A31 Alton Bypass, where the B3004 ends.

History

The B3004 meets A339 in Alton, 1972

The B3004 only originally ran as far as Lindford. The extension to Alton, encompassing the northern half of the road, happened in the 1930s, doubling its length.

Originally this northward extension ended on what was the original A31 just east of Alton town centre, where Paper Mill Lane reaches Normandy Street. After the opening of the bypass, Normandy Street became A339 but the B3004's route was unchanged.

The current end of the route, which sees it turn onto Mill Road and then Montecchio Way, dates from around 1994, when the A339 was rerouted around the west of Alton. This was done in an attempt to keep through traffic out of Alton town centre.




B3004
Crossings
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (6)
The Cricketers, Kingsley - Geograph - 1576573.jpgThe top of Worldham Hill - Geograph - 1207812.jpgStandford Lane - Geograph - 29794.jpgThe B3004 running West through East Worldham - Geograph - 1207881.jpgRoad Junction on the A325, near Bordon, Hampshire - 180918 - Geograph - 5920274.jpg
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