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| Route information | |
| Length | 6.3 mi (10.1 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | Holmes Chapel,Cheshire |
| Major intersections |  A50 A537 |
| North end | Chelford, Cheshire |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Primary destinations | Jodrell Bank |
| Road network | |
TheA535 road is a non-primary route inEngland that runs fromHolmes Chapel,Cheshire toAlderley Edge, Cheshire.[1] It passes through theDane River valley. It is the main road that gives access to theJodrell Bank Observatory and the Quinta Arboretum, planted by SirBernard Lovell in 1948.[2][3][4]
In medieval times part of the existing A535 route provided access toChorley Old Hall and moat near Alderley Edge, a Grade Ilisted building andscheduled monument.[5][6] This part of the road is known as "Ryley's Lane".[7] The original part of the house was built around 1330 by Robert de Chorley. The Stanley family carried out alterations around 1640 and built a bridge across the moat. Just past the hall, a lane leads off to the east which is named after the hall, Chorley Lane.[8] In historical times, this lane leading off what is now the A535 road was the main road leading toMacclesfield from Alderley Hall, and was the continuation of the Macclesfield Road. This stretch is now theB5087 road.[9] From the 16th to the 18th century, theBooth family were the major landowners in the southern part of the road in theTwemlow area. They built a grand mansion atTwemlow Hall in the area which can be viewed along the A535 road fromHolmes Chapel toGoostrey on a hill top.[10]
In 1831, Corbishley Bridge was erected along the road to the northeast ofChelford, to the west of the hamlet ofCorbishley to facilitate the railway line.[11] In 1898, the Cheshire County Council erected a signpost nearWithington Hall along the road.
From September 1952, the road became the main road of transport of shifting building materials for the building of theJodrell Bank Observatory.[12] The first major constructional work was completed in the summer of 1957, and eventually five telescopes were installed at the centre under the guidance of Sir Bernard Lovell. Lovell acknowledged that delivering the telescope parts over the level crossing along the A535 may have been problematic but he didn't anticipate any major difficulties.[3] Jodrell Bank Observatory has since become the main tourist attraction of the area.
During the summer of 2010, the construction of the A34 Alderley Bypass affected the road network in the area and meant that as one road was closed off, traffic had to frequently be diverted.[13] The road used to connect to theA34 at a junction in Alderley Edge, but with the opening of the A34 Alderley Bypass in November 2010, the A535 now terminates at the roundabout on the A537 in Chelford. The part of the A535 from the Chelford roundabout to Alderley Edge was joined with the section of the old A34 from Alderley Edge to the Whitehall Bridge roundabout and renamed B5359.
Starting at a double mini-roundabout in the centre ofHolmes Chapel at53°12′9″N2°21′26″W / 53.20250°N 2.35722°W /53.20250; -2.35722, the road heads eastwards where it is initially known as Macclesfield Road,[14] before heading northeastwards and crossing theCrewe to Manchester branch of theWest Coast Main Line. It passes the village ofTwemlow Green, running alongside the Twemlow Viaduct. After the gentle climb out of Twemlow, theLovell Telescope of Jodrell Bank is in view, with access to the site being from a sharp left turn into Bomish Lane. At Jodrell Bank is a road leading off to the east which is initially called Farm Lane, leading toLower Withington. This is part of theB5392 road which eventually joins the A537 atBroken Cross in the western suburbs of Macclesfield.
After passing through the village ofWithington Green, a lane passes off the east called Catch Penny lane which leads to Deans Rough Farm and a Catch Penny lake.[15] Further north isFarm Wood Quarry on its left, an area which the road passes which has had several notable geological examinations conducted into it.[16]
The road continues to pastAstle Hall, site of the annual1000 Engine Rally in June,[17] and also the Astle Park Steam Rally (atAstle Park) in August,[18] toChelford, where it terminates at theA537roundabout.Originally the A535 continued from the roundabout on the A537 towards Alderley Edge, but this section of the A535 was downgraded and renamed B5359 following the opening of the new A34 bypass in 2010. Shortly after leaving Chelford the B5359 passes under the Crewe to Manchester line at Corbishley Bridge, and continues through the village of Alderley Edge and finally ends at the Whitehall Bridge roundabout on the new A34.
Roads in Zone 5 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
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