35-505: The A417 is a main road in England, running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore , Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the major settlements of Swindon and Gloucester. When the A417 was first designated in 1922, it ran only from Streatley to Cirencester. In 1935 it
70-501: A ferry used to operate between the two villages. Sixty people were drowned at Streatley in 1674 when a ferry capsized in the flash lock . The iron wheel pump, on the forecourt of The Bull , was the only reliable water source in the great freeze of 1895, and water was sold from this point for sixpence a bucket. Two-thirds of Streatley used to be owned by the Morrell family of brewers from Oxford , whose resistance to change enabled
105-692: A 6,355-yard, par 72 golf course , designed in part by Harry Colt , and has views of the Thames and Ridgeway . Streatley Hill is a destination for cycling hill climbs – the annual Didcot Phoenix Cycle Club and Reading Cycle Club Hill Climb competitions take place every September. The hill featured in the Tour of Britain in 2008 as a designated King of the Mountains climb. The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary in Streatley used to be part of
140-490: A feeder pre-school attached to it. The church is a Grade II listed building . The annual Goring and Streatley Regatta was held each July on the Streatley side of the river. In the 19th century, it was a serious regatta to rival Henley or Marlow , but changed to a local regatta for amateur teams of inhabitants of the two villages. It came to a halt after COVID. A torchlight procession of villagers and visitors merges with another stream from Goring each Christmas Eve , in
175-517: A night-time spectacle that continues onto Streatley Recreation Ground for a carol service. There is a biannual Arts Festival called the Goring Gap Festival. The village is the subject of the poem "A Streatley Sonata" by Joseph Ashby-Sterry composed in the late 19th century: And when you're here, I’m told that you Should mount the hill and see the view; And gaze and wonder, if you'd do Its merits most completely; The air
210-561: A steep (16%) gradient as the road descended the Cotswold Edge escarpment to Brockworth . On 31 December 2022, the 200-year old Air Balloon pub at Birdlip closed for the final time before demolition to allow the road to be upgraded. The road runs north-west from Streatley at its junction with the A329 (between Reading and Wallingford ) then turns west to Wantage , over the picturesque Berkshire Downs . In Wantage, it negotiates
245-509: A vital crossing point on the Thames, a settlement at Streatley has existed for a long time. The village is mentioned in the Domesday book . Neolithic tools have been found at the base of Lough Down and Bronze Age artefacts in the village. A sarsen stone , traditionally thought to be the remains of a Roman milestone, is still present at the Bull crossroads. Long before the bridge was built
280-535: Is at steeply varying elevations, ranging from 51m AOD to 185m at Streatley Warren , a hilltop point on its western border forming the eastern end of the Berkshire Downs . This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is topped by the 87-mile The Ridgeway path, which crosses the Thames at Goring and Streatley Bridge . Streatley is centred 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Reading and 17 miles (27 km) south of Oxford . Its developed area occupies half of
315-452: Is clear, the day is fine, The prospect is, I know, divine – But most distinctly I decline To climb the hill at Streatley But from the Hill, I understand You gaze across rich pasture-land; And fancy you see Oxford and P'r'aps Wallingford and Wheatley: Upon the winding Thames you gaze, And, though the view’s beyond all praise, I'd rather much sit here and laze Than scale
350-537: Is mostly surrounded by National Trust land: Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down . Nearby villages include Aldworth , Goring-on-Thames, Lower Basildon , Moulsford and Pangbourne The Ridgeway long-distance path passes through the village, which is the finishing line for the annual "Ridgeway 40" walk and trail run. The Thames Path , Icknield Way and the Ridgeway cross the Thames at Streatley. Being in such
385-522: Is not nearly so pretty a little spot to stop at as Streatley, if you have your choice; but it is passing fair enough in its way, and is nearer the railway in case you want to slip off without paying your hotel bill. Maisemore Maisemore is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire , England. It lies on the A417 road 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Gloucester , on the west bank of
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#1732772776433420-531: Is the unusual burial site for a monk and a nun executed in 1440 for "misconduct" and contains an ancient yew tree . Near the Bull is a youth hostel . There is a four-star hotel and restaurant in the village – the Swan at Streatley. During the 1970s, it was owned by the drag artist Danny La Rue . The hotel was then purchased by Diplomat Hotels of Sweden , before being sold in 2001 to Nike Group Hotels, part of
455-533: The Bracknell -based Nike Group of Companies, whose Chairman is John Nike . Since 2012, the hotel has been owned by Rare Bird Hotels, backed by Punch Taverns and Pizza Express entrepreneur Hugh Osmond . The restaurant area is now branded as Coppa Club. During the summer small electric boats can be rented from here to explore the Thames . Goring and Streatley Golf Club is in the village, founded in 1895. It has
490-609: The Reading Episcopal Area of the Diocese of Oxford , but has now moved to the Dorchester Episcopal Area , crossing the old Wessex - Mercia boundary for the first time in 1400 years. In the churchyard is the grave of an Anglo-Saxon warrior, whose body was discovered under the old bowling green in 1932 and reburied in the cemetery. The village has a Church of England primary school with
525-523: The River Severn . In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 488, reducing to 458 at the 2011 census. The parish includes the hamlet of Overton, 1 mile (1.6 km) north west of the village. Maisemore Bridge connects the village to Alney Island , and provides a viewpoint for the Severn bore . Maisemore Weir and Lock were built in about 1870. The weir is at the upper limit of the tides on
560-541: The River Thames in Berkshire , England. The village faces Goring-on-Thames . The two places share in their shops, services, leisure, sports and much of their transport. Across the river is Goring & Streatley railway station and the village cluster adjoins a lock and weir. The west of the village is a mixture of agriculture and woodland plus a golf course . The village has a riverside hotel. Much of Streatley
595-468: The Severn Valley. After the roundabout and the (now demolished) Air Balloon pub , the road turns sharply and there is a steep downward gradient. This is a bottleneck at peak times, and plans for a dual-carriageway section here were included in a roads expansion programme pledged during the government's 2014 Autumn Statement for delivery during the following 5–8 years. Construction work to complete
630-635: The 'missing link' between the end of the Brockworth Bypass and Cowley Roundabout began in 2023, with an expected completion date of Spring 2027. At the foot of the hill, the 3-mile (4.8 km) £36m Brockworth Bypass opened in December 1995, and included creation of junction 11a of the M5 . Through Gloucester , the road overlaps the A40 Gloucester northern bypass, and from a roundabout at
665-464: The 15th century. Maisemore Court, near the church, is a former manor house , also a Grade II* listed building. The construction of the current bridge was commenced in 1939 but was stopped during the war of 1939–45. It was completed in 1956. The bridge stands on or near the site of at least six previous bridges. The first recorded one had a cross with an inscription stating it was begun by William Fitz Anketil circa A.D. 1230. The next known bridge
700-576: The A438, then at a set of traffic lights known as the Trumpet crossroads, the A417 goes north-west along a more high-hedged, narrow road. It meets the A49 at a wide junction at Hope under Dinmore just south of Leominster . 51°44′47″N 1°58′51″W / 51.74627°N 1.98097°W / 51.74627; -1.98097 Streatley, Berkshire Streatley is a village and civil parish on
735-540: The Hill at Streatley! The village is mentioned in Jerome K Jerome 's Three Men in a Boat : We had intended to push on to Wallingford that day, but the sweet smiling face of the river here lured us to linger for a while; and so we left our boat at the bridge, and went up into Streatley, and lunched at the Bull , much to Montmorency's satisfaction.... It is an ancient place, Streatley, dating back, like most river-side towns and villages, to British and Saxon times. Goring
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#1732772776433770-458: The Severn. The lock is no longer in use. The area is prone to flooding, which from time to time closes the A417 between Maisemore and Gloucester, especially in the spring when the swollen River Severn meets high tides coming up the estuary. The name of the village appears to be of Welsh origin, meaning "great field" ( Welsh : maes mawr ). The northern part of Alney Island , which is within
805-530: The area of the unitary authority of West Berkshire . Both the parish council and the unitary authority have responsibilities for various aspects of local government . The parish used to form part of the Newbury parliamentary constituency , but moved to the new constituency of Reading West and Mid Berks in 2024. Streatley has one public house , The Bull at Streatley on the Reading Road. Its garden
840-606: The end of the bypass the road goes north-west through the village of Maisemore , past Hartpury College , then through the village of Hartpury . The A417 then passes through the twin villages of Corse and Staunton . It crosses the M50 Ross Spur motorway at junction 2, then meets the Ledbury bypass, where the road noticeably widens out, and has many large roundabouts. Between Gloucester and Ledbury there are many changes of speed limit . From Ledbury it goes west, overlapping
875-523: The market place (around King Alfred 's statue). Soon after leaving Wantage it passes through East Challow village and runs north-west to Faringdon , via Stanford in the Vale . It leads on to Lechlade , where it crosses the River Thames at St John's Bridge . It then runs past the Cotswold Water Park , through the bottleneck of Fairford to Cirencester , and thence to Gloucester . From
910-599: The narrow Goring Gap on the River Thames and is directly across the river from the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames . The two villages are connected by Goring and Streatley Bridge , with its adjacent lock and weir, and are often considered as a single settlement. Goring & Streatley railway station on the Great Western Main Line is in Goring and serves both villages. The village
945-419: The parish of Maisemore, is known as Maisemore Ham, combining Welsh and Old English words for field or meadow ( ham , meaning "meadow" ). The village was originally around the church. Probably in the 14th century, the present linear village was replanned further south, leaving the church separated from its settlement. The parish church, dedicated to St Giles , is a Grade II* listed building , dating from
980-466: The ports of the south coast and the industrial Midlands. The 4-mile (6.4 km) dual-carriageway north of Stratton to Nettleton opened on 16 January 1998. The roundabout at the end of this section often has congestion during peak hours. The 2-mile (3.2 km) £2.4m single-carriageway Birdlip bypass opened in December 1988. This point, before the Air Balloon roundabout, has a grand vista of
1015-425: The riverside village of Streatley, the parish covers an area of the Berkshire Downs to the west, and includes the small cluster of dwellings named Stichens Green . The parish is bordered to the north and east by the Oxfordshire parishes of Moulsford , South Stoke and Goring . To the west and south, it is bordered by the Berkshire parishes of Basildon , Ashampstead and Aldworth . The parish falls within
1050-768: The start of the Cirencester bypass as far as Gloucester, the A417 forms part of a dual-carriageway route ( A419 /A417) connecting the M4 (junction 15) with the M5 at Gloucester (junction 11A). At the A429 roundabout on the older Cirencester bypass, the A417 follows the A429 north for 0.5 miles (0.8 km), then resumes when it joins the newer bypass (which is also the A417). The 6-mile (9.7 km) Cirencester & Stratton Bypass opened on 9 December 1997. This route carries traffic between
1085-620: The village became part of the Royal Veterinary College , which had moved out of London during the Blitz . The college left in 1958. A bomb exploded in a postman's bag on a bicycle in the village in 1979. It was targeted at a retired judge in the village, but went off early, when the postman's bicycle fell over. The incident appeared to be the work of the IRA . Streatley is a civil parish with an elected parish council . Besides
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1120-402: The village to withstand the railway line and extra houses that went to Goring-on-Thames . The watermill was originally owned by the nuns of Goring. In later years it was used to drive a generator to provide electricity for the estate. However, it burned down in 1926 and was not rebuilt. On the death of Emily Morrell , in 1938, the estate was sold, and the manor house and some other houses in
1155-427: Was destroyed by great floods, and in 1777 trustees were established by act of parliament to build a new bridge in place of a temporary wooden one which had been built lower down the river. A new two-arch brick bridge was begun in 1785 by Thomas Badford, the cost being defrayed by tolls levied by the trustees until 1795. The trustees continued to maintain the bridge until 1936, when by agreement their powers were ceded to
1190-536: Was extended to Gloucester, on the former route of the A419 , and on to Ledbury and Hope under Dinmore. There have been numerous upgrades and bypasses, particularly on the primary section. At Faringdon , its traditional route over Folly Hill and down through the market place has been blocked by the more recent development of the A420 and the road has been diverted to the south. The Birdlip bypass, opened in 1988, avoided
1225-534: Was recorded as "cut down" by royalist besiegers of Gloucester in 1643 which suggests it might have been a wooden structure: It is known to have been rebuilt of timber. The parishioners of Maisemore were, by ancient custom, liable for the repair of the bridge, but this apparently proved beyond their means as in 1709, they were fined £200 for non-repair. At the same time the County Justices voted £200 towards "a good substantial brick and stone bridge". The latter
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