My 2020 Coronavirus Lockdown walking project

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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   Text © Copyright April 2020, Chris Downer; licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Licence.
Images also under a similar Creative Commons Licence.


Contents
In response to the global coronavirus pandemic, on 23 March 2020 the government announced a lockdown which effectively confined people to their homes, apart from essential journeys which included vital shopping, to help vulnerable people, and one period of exercise per day.

There was speculation about whether driving to a place of exercise, such as a beauty spot, was acceptable and guidelines were quickly made, that exercise should take place locally and direct from home.

So I drew a 2km radius around my home on a map and set out to walk along, across or past every named street and footpath within this circle.

I found that there are 453 such roads/paths, not including roads whose postal address is part of another road already included (such as some Courts, Terraces and Mews).



I undertook to take a photo of a sign for each one, mainly with some context of the road itself.

A


SZ0895 : Northbourne: Aberdare Road by Chris Downer
1. ABERDARE ROAD

Aberdare Road is in the relatively well-to-do Northbourne area and consists of bungalows.

We look across its one midway junction, with Romney Road to the left and Romney Close to the right.


SZ0795 : Northbourne: Abney Road by Chris Downer
2. ABNEY ROAD

Looking up Abney Road from the Howeth Road end, it looks deceptively rural thanks to a patch of gorse and bramble on the corner where the sign is situated.


SZ0694 : East Howe: Acres Road by Chris Downer
3. ACRES ROAD

Acres Road is a small cul-de-sac with pedestrian access to Fernheath Valley local nature reserve at its end.


SZ0694 : Wallisdown: Acton Road by Chris Downer
4. ACTON ROAD

Acton Road is a dead-end road beyond this last junction, following a 90º left turn which can be seen in the background. Behind us are houses, including some older cottages, while ahead it is bungalows.


SZ0794 : Ensbury Park: Adamsfield Gardens by Chris Downer
5. ADAMSFIELD GARDENS

A reasonably modern infill road off Kingswell Road, probably 1980s judging by the predecessor name sign on Google Street View. This sign is a very modern one and stands in a patch of snowdrops and bluebells.


SZ0795 : Northbourne: Alderley Road by Chris Downer
6. ALDERLEY ROAD

Looking along this short suburban road in an area of middle-class bungalows.


SZ0795 : East Howe: Aldridge Road by Chris Downer
7. ALDRIDGE ROAD

This sign stands on the grass triangle at the junction of Long Road – the other end of Alrdidge Road also comes out on Long Road, further north. The council houses string along in a straight line, ignoring the bends in the road: hence the grass triangle.


SZ0596 : Bear Cross: Anchor Close by Chris Downer
8. ANCHOR CLOSE

Looking north from Anchor Close, at an odd junction layout where Anchor Road and Close sort of rebound off each other. Anchor Close, unlike Anchor Road, is council housing including blocks of flats and terraced houses.


SZ0596 : Bear Cross: Anchor Road by Chris Downer
9. ANCHOR ROAD

A street mainly consisting of well-to-do bungalows, this stretch of Anchor Road also includes a parade of shops of a design similar to those found in 1950s council estates. I note the bus stop markings; I didn't know that the bus routes came off the main roads here.


SZ0695 : West Howe: Andrews Close by Chris Downer
10. ANDREWS CLOSE

Andrews Close is a cul-de-sac off Springwater Road in the heart of the large West Howe council estate. It leads to Heathlands Primary School (now Heathlands Primary Academy) which can be seen facing us at the dead end.


SZ0696 : West Howe: Anstey Close by Chris Downer
11. ANSTEY CLOSE

A small cul-de-sac off Anstey Road, one of the main roads within the northwest part of the large West Howe council estate. It comprises a few blocks of flats, mainly around the dead end such as the one facing us.


SZ0696 : West Howe: Anstey Road by Chris Downer
12. ANSTEY ROAD

Anstey Road is one of the main routes through this northwest section of the large West Howe 1950s council estate.


SZ0695 : West Howe: April Close by Chris Downer
13. APRIL CLOSE

The parked car made a good-perspective photograph difficult, but it can be seen in the background that April Close turns to the left, more or less parallel with the main Poole Lane where we stand. The houses take a direct line from one road to the other, and it is my strong suspicion that April Close is in fact the original line of Poole Lane. Historical maps suggest that the current line of Poole Lane has been extant since the 1940s.


SZ0794 : Ensbury Park: Archdale Close by Chris Downer
14. ARCHDALE CLOSE

Part of the 1970s Slades Farm council estate, and its only minor road coming off the original Columbia Road rather than the estate roads themselves. The housing, visible through the railings, are typical 70s council houses and they are backed by a pleasant, green open space in the centre of the estate.


SZ0895 : Moordown: Arden Road by Chris Downer
15. ARDEN ROAD

One of the west-east roads within the Wimborne Road/The Avenue/The Grove part of Moordown, with middle-class detached houses – and one of the shorter ones with only one rather than two segments.


SZ0794 : Ensbury Park: Ashburton Gardens by Chris Downer
16. ASHBURTON GARDENS

Modern infill housing off Beswick Avenue, it is not shown on the 1:25,000 mapping yet but it dates from the 1990s or possibly just 1980s.


SZ0794 : Ensbury Park: Ashleigh Rise by Chris Downer
17. ASHLEIGH RISE

A small, modern infill development off Columbia Road, perhaps 2005 or thereabouts. The sign is an unusually small one, appended with the words PRIVATE ROAD and, I think, erected by the developer rather than the council.


SZ0796 : Northbourne: Ashridge Avenue by Chris Downer
18. ASHRIDGE AVENUE

Looking down this row of detached houses from the top end of Ashridge Avenue, the pavement separated from the road by a hedge, interrupted at each driveway.


SZ0796 : Northbourne: Ashridge Gardens by Chris Downer
19. ASHRIDGE GARDENS

We have a glimpse of the bungalows of this short cul-de-sac as it curves around in the background. Ashridge Gardens is off Hogue Avenue but is named along with Ashridge Avenue, which is the turning diagonally behind us.


SZ0894 : Moordown: Ashton Road by Chris Downer
20. ASHTON ROAD

Looking along Ashton Road from the main Wimborne Road. When I was growing up in the 1980s, all the side turnings had these double-facing name signs on high posts: quite a few 80s signs survive, as here, while others have been replaced on the same tall posts and some have been replaced by more traditional low-level signs


SZ0896 : Northbourne: Austen Avenue by Chris Downer
21. AUSTEN AVENUE

Looking along this very short road, not an avenue in the usual sense of being tree lined, which leads only to Cedar Avenue which has a dead end at both ends.


SZ0896 : Northbourne: Avebury Avenue by Chris Downer
22. AVEBURY AVENUE

Looking along this short, curved road of desirable bungalows (although there's a house visible also) from its northeast corner.


KML

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