A625 road

A625 road
The A625 near the Grouse Inn high on the Derbyshire Peaks
Route information
Length:	11.8 mi[1] (19.0 km)
Major junctions
northeast end:	53°22′26″N 1°28′46″W / 53.3738°N 1.4795°W Sheffield
	A61 road A6187 road A623 road
southwest end:	53°16′12″N 1°38′35″W / 53.2700°N 1.6430°W Calver
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

The A625 is a rural road which runs through north Derbyshire and the Peak District.

Route

First named Ecclesall Road, it begins at the Moore Street roundabout in Sheffield and runs southwesterly towards Hathersage after a change in name to Hathersage Road, crossing from South Yorkshire into Derbyshire. It separates from the A6187 road 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Hathersage and continues to Calver where it finishes at a crossroads with the B6001 and A623 road.

History

Its course was, until a recent renumbering in 2000, westerly towards Hope and Castleton and Chapel-en-le-Frith where it joined the A6.

The A625 previously ran, undiverted, between Castleton and Chapel-en-le-Frith, winding its way up the south face of Mam Tor—replacing a much earlier route through the Winnats Pass. This section of the road proved highly prone to movement, especially after periods of heavy rain, and was in constant need of repair. It was finally abandoned in 1979 and traffic was, once again, directed westwards through the Winnats Pass.

Plan of A625 before 2000.

Mam Tor road

A section of the abandoned road

This section of the road was first constructed in 1819 by the Sheffield Turnpike Company using spoil from the nearby Odin Mine.^[2] It replaced a much earlier, ancient packhorse route, running through the Winnats Pass. Also known locally as "The New Road", the new section was set at an easier gradient than the earlier Winnats Pass route and crossed the Mam Tor landslip. As a result of further movement of the Mam Tor landslip, major road works were required in 1912, 1933, 1946, 1952 and 1966. On the last occasion, the road was closed for 6 weeks. In 1974 large parts of the Mam Tor section collapsed during a massive landslip. Additional road works were carried out regularly, when wet years led to further landslips. Finally, the Mam Tor section of the road was abandoned in 1979.^[3] Hereafter, traffic was routed through the Winnats Pass to rejoin the A625 at Windy Knoll.^[4]

The road's course was altered in 2000 to meet the A623 further east, the old route becoming the A6187.

External links

• Slipped part of A625 road at Mam Tor, showing many layers of gravel and tarmac added over years to try to offset subsidence

References

1. "Directions to A625". Google maps. Google. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
2. "Mam Tor | Peak District | The National Trust". Peakdistrict.nationaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
3. Time (2006-09-10). "Mam Tor Landslide | Derbyshire | British Geological Survey". BGS. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
4. "Winnats Pass - Page 1". Rural Roads. Retrieved 2013-02-08.

Coordinates: 53°20′33″N 1°47′02″W / 53.3424°N 1.7839°W