A22 road facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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A22 in near Eastbourne in East Sussex.
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| North end | London (Purley)51°20′15″N 0°07′00″W / 51.3375°N 0.1166°W |
 M25 A23 A25 A26 A27 A259 A264 A267 A271 A272 A275 A283 A295 A2022 A2280 A2290 |
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| South end | Eastbourne50°47′06″N 0°16′26″E / 50.785°N 0.274°E |
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| Primary destinations: |
Croydon East Grinstead |
| Road network | |
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The A22 is an important road in the southeast of England. It helps people travel from London all the way to Eastbourne on the coast of East Sussex. This road is quite old! Parts of it were once "turnpikes" in the 1700s. Turnpikes were roads where you had to pay a fee (a "toll") to use them. This money helped keep the roads in good condition.
- In 1718, a section from London to East Grinstead opened as a turnpike.
- By 1720, this road was extended through East Grinstead to a place called Highgate near Ashdown Forest.
- Around 1820, the road was about 34 miles (54 km) long. It ran from Borough, London, to Wych Cross.
- Later, the road was extended north to Westminster Bridge. This part was eventually renamed the A23.
Contents
Journey Along the A22 Road
The A22 road starts south of London. It begins at Purley Cross Junction, which is just south of Purley. From there, the road heads over the North Downs. The North Downs are a range of hills in southern England.
Crossing Surrey and the M25
As the A22 continues, it enters the county of Surrey. It crosses the M25 London Orbital Motorway. This crossing happens just north of a town called Godstone.
A part of the A22 here is called the Caterham bypass. A bypass is a road that goes around a town instead of through its busy centre. The Caterham bypass opened in 1939. It was one of the first roads like this in the country. This section also includes the Wapses Lodge roundabout at its northern end. After this, the A22 follows the path of an ancient Roman road.
Through West Sussex and East Grinstead
South of the M25, the A22 briefly enters West Sussex. This happens near Felbridge, just north of East Grinstead. The A264 road, which connects Crawley and Tunbridge Wells, joins the A22 for a short distance.
The A22 then bypasses the town centre of East Grinstead. This part of the road uses an old railway cutting. A railway cutting is a trench dug into the ground for a railway line. This railway line was closed because of something called the Beeching Report. This report led to many local train services being stopped. Some local people wanted to call this section the "Beeching Cut" because of this history.
Into East Sussex and Ashdown Forest
South of East Grinstead, the A22 crosses into East Sussex. This is just north of Forest Row. Between Forest Row and Nutley, the road goes through the ancient Ashdown Forest.
The A22 is special because it's the only road through Ashdown Forest that doesn't have a 40 mph speed limit. At the Wych Cross junction, the A275 road branches off south towards Lewes. Both the A272 and the A26 roads cross the A22 between Nutley and Uckfield. The A26 even merges with the A22 for the section around Uckfield.
The A22 also has bypasses for the villages of East Hoathly and Hailsham. Finally, there is a junction with the A27 road. This is just north of where the A22 ends in Eastbourne.
Images for kids
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Godstone bypass
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The A22 in Eastbourne.
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At Polegate
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A22 northbound towards Hailsham, East Sussex
