A3 and A3(M) Old Photos
In this gallery I have some old photos of the A3 and A3(M) I have been sent which I wanted to share with you - so here we go. They are arranged broadly from south-to-north.
Tap each thumbnail to enlarge it.
A3(M) J5, the Rusty Cutter, under construction. You can see the old route of Bedhampton Hill before the motorway was built.
Looking north from the large Portsdown Hill Road, before the markings were painted. Probably taken in 1979.
The end of the dual carriageway at Gravel Hill in 1977. Today this is the point where the old London Road merges with the main A3 just south of Butser Hill. The road in the distance was nicknamed 'Cannonball Corner' for the way it climbed about 100 metres. You can see the land being cleared to make way for the road to be upgraded - some of it was taken to the A27 at Farlington. Behind the camera was the Gravel Hill Café.
The upgrade in progress: replacing the notorious Cannonball Corner with a smooth, flat dual carriageway known as the Butser Cut. A new northbound carriageway has been built on the left, now the old road over the hill is being torn up, to make space for a new southbound carriageway. Likely taken in 1976.
Looking north along the brand new dual carriageway, in between the exits for Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Likely to be dated 1982.
This is believed to be looking north from the Queen Elizabeth Country Park exit (seen joining on the left). There is no barrier in the middle of the road.
Looking north at Gravel Hill, pretty much the same place as the third photo, but now the dual carriageway has been extended into the cutting. Those two gaps in the barrier allowed traffic from the Petersfield Lane area to turn around. They have since been filled in as the A3 no longer has any side turnings - the next photo explains! Likely taken 1983.
Looking south at the same junction as the previous photo. You can just about see the southbound carriageway (left) snakes off to the left on a new alignment (the hill is still bare where it has been dug), while the northbound carriageway (right) takes an older route. A new northbound side was provided later in the 1980s and the road on the right is now the old London Road, serving all the properties along the way. The Gravel Hill café would have been just out of shot on the right.
Looking south towards Windmill Hill (with the windmill visible). At the top of the hill on the right is the northbound carriageway. The footpath to the right connects to it, providing access to the Green Leaves Garage and the Hog's Lodge Inn. A new northbound carriageway has since been built in the gap which has been left down the middle, and a new flyover at Chalton Lane has totally changed the view. Chalton Lane was broken into two sections by the A3, and the big sign is telling us that the exit on the left is for Chalton Lane towards Chalton, followed by an exit on the right for Chalton Lane towards Clanfield. The road snaking up the hill is the lane to Windmill Down and not the A3. A man on the left is waiting at a bus stop; the bus stop has since closed.
Looking north at the southern Chalton Lane exit. The road on the left is now the East Meon exit to Chalton Lane on the modern A3. On the right is the northbound A3, with signs telling traffic the second Chalton Lane exit is coming up. The junction in the middle of the picture has since been closed and replaced with a flyover further ahead. The vehicles on the far right are using the newer southbound A3, which takes a much smoother alignment which northbound eventually copied.
Looking south at the junction of the A3 and the A247 in Send in 1955, with a pre-Worboys road sign. A three-lane ("suicide lane") section appears to be coming to an end.
Looking west across Mole Bridge, out of Cobham towards Pains Hill. This is 1958, and realignment works have been taking place.
Looking east over Mole Bridge, into Cobham, with Pains Hill behind us. The sign advertises Notre Dame School.
Another view of the Little White Lion. The sign on the right says, "Are all your lights working? Check often".
Looking west out of Cobham again, with a Ministry of Transport sign explaining the roadworks on Pains Hill. Traffic appears to be giving way to the roadworks.
Looking east into Cobham, with The Antelope on the left and the White Lion Hotel in the distance. This photo marks the end of phase one.
Looking north along the Kingston Bypass in 1965. Meeten's Motor Mecca is in the distance. The road has a concrete carriageway and a narrow local access path.
A number of old road signs approaching Shannon Corner: speed limit, traffic signals ahead and a pre-Worboys direction sign, with Decca in the distance.
A pre-Worboys sign on the A3 approaching what's now the Bushey Road Flyover. In the distance, another sign warns that the road beyond here is single carriageway.
The layout of the Bushey Road junction with the A3 in 1965. Here the dual carriageway comes to an end.
North of here, the A3 became a little less urban as it flew over the railway line, as a single carriageway.
Hindhead Photos
Not quite as old as the photos shared so far, but if you like A3 history, there is a whole gallery dedicated to the road through Hindhead and the opening of the tunnel.