A227 road

The A227 road in England runs from Gravesend in Kent in a generally south-south-westerly direction to Tonbridge. It is about 12.5 miles (20.1 km) in length.

Overview

It begins in Gravesend town centre and its initial 2.5 miles (4.0 km) follows a relatively straight line, passing under the A2 road about halfway along that length. At this point there are at present (2007) large scale earthworks where the major is being moved southwards nearer High Speed 1. Just before entering Meopham, and while passing through the village, the road becomes less straight, and begins the climb up the slope that ends at the North Downs; at about 6 miles (9.7 km) the road slopes steeply down the southern edge of the Downs, meeting the A20 and crossing the M20 at the foot of the hill.

For a short distance the A227 and the A20 share the same path, but then the former turns right and a roundabout to resume its SSE journey. The original road at this point went through the village of Wrotham, but the bypass on which the A227 now is routed crosses the M26 to the east of that village. Half a mile (0.8 km) further on, Borough Green is reached, and once through it the road again joins another road, losing its identity as it did earlier: this time the A25. A left turn sees the road re-emerge, and it now enters the village of Ightham; once through here the road begins a steady climb on the slope of the Greensand Ridge, and after reaching the top to the west of Plaxtol, it begins to descend steeply passing through Shipbourne.

Beyond Shipbourne the road takes a very sharp right-hand bend and soon begins to enter the northern edge of Tonbridge. At the northern end of the High Street, the A227 comes to an end where it joins the B245 (the erstwhile London Road).