Britain's Abandoned Roads - Episode 12 - A2 Gravesend Kent - Happy New Year Everyone

[@robjames5228]

Wow. Quite a surprise to see the old A2 after all these years. I was responsible for much of the design of the whole scheme, including the treatment of the redundant carriageway

[@shroomologist]

Isn't this the really sketchy bit with that bump in the road on lane 4 of the londonbound carriageway that feels like it's trying to launch you into the central reservation?

[@dougie1968]

Reminds me of the woman who bought a house just nine feet away from the A446 dual carriageway in Coleshill only to complain it was too noisy! What did she expect from a busy 70mph A-road? She even said she felt like she is 'living next to a motorway'. What a nutter. It's like buying a house next to a busy airport only to complain about the noise, saying it feels like living next to an airport. I bet she'd like the A446 dual carriageway closed and abandoned. 😆

[@angelsone-five7912]

This is why we have no stock car tracks worth speaking of now, people move in and then moan cos there`s a track across the road, mad.

[@kets4443]

Didn't that road become 50?

[@markaustin5324]

Thanks for the watch, I have drove down that bit of the A2 many times. With reference to the old Roman port of Lympne it sits on the old Saxon shore way looking over Romney Marsh near Aldington. Before Romney Marsh was formed after the great storm of 1287 it used to be a coastal port but now it sits about 3 miles in land. It is pronounced Lim. Thanks again

[@rhyleyb602]

Wrotham is pronounced ‘route ham’ 👍🏼

[@AutoShenanigans]

surely not!? really..? :D

[@simonmcowan6874]

Yup, or 'root-ham' try Trottiscliffe near the village of Wrotham to the south of Gravesend, pronounced,, wait for it,,, 'Trosley' 😊

[@AutoShenanigans]

@@simonmcowan6874 We make life hard for ourselves really. I live near Bozeat... said as "Bojia" or something stupid like that.

[@hermanmunster3358]

@@AutoShenanigans And don't forget Sittingbourne, which many locals, (or those who are unfortunate enough to work there) pronounce 'SHITTINGBOURNE' No shit!

[@mookrage]

@@simonmcowan6874 only because they stole the name from trosley towers.....they used to be two different places with their names pronounced phonetically......but trotterscliffe changed because of, well, snobbery

[@Braddowski]

As a Man of Kent, those pronunciations of Lympne and Wrotham killed me! Love the channel, though. Thanks for all your videos!

[@MarkOfTheHighTower]

as a Kentish Man I resemble this remark 🙂

[@MaNNeRz91]

Up by nels cafe is a tree planted on the old a2 road with a shrine round it where my friend passed away in an accident not long before they moved the road over.

[@thatguyuk1]

Leaving the services coast bound used to be a white knuckle ride on the old A2, as the slip road was no more than a 100 yards before you were in with the cars. Also it wasn't karens that stopped the drive thru, it was the existing service station that used to serve the old A2 that got a petition up, as their trade had plummeted since the A2 was moved, and this would of all but killed them off. Living near this road all my life, the sounds of cars on it used to help me sleep.

[@marionbloom1218]

You didn't mention that most of it now is the "cyclopark" with a long road racing circuit and various other facilities, it's pretty outstanding if you're a cyclist!

[@malcolmabram2957]

I remember as a child the A1 that ran through the centre of Stevenage, then a much needed dual carriageway bypass was built (1966 I think). There are parts of the old road that are just a cycle track and pedestrian pathway, and to think that was once the premier road in the whole country.

[@darrenclark7005]

That is very near to where I live. I often go on walks along that bit. sometimes several days per week. I have collected/nabbed lots of photos of how it has changed over the past century. A very welcome surprise to see a video dedicated to it.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Always nice to hear from a local. What's the latest with the now dis-used highways offices/hotel, I assume some sort of apartment building awaits it.

[@darrenclark7005]

@@AutoShenanigans Apologies for the very late reply - I was waiting for something more concrete to be announced. The latest plan for the disused Tollgate hotel is, according to plans announced in August, for BP Pulse to build '24 EV charging bays, a petrol filling station, an M&S Simply Food store and a Wild Bean Café.'

[@McRocket]

Really enjoyed this. Thank you. BTW - on Google Earth - you can see the area in history. And it is weird to look at this area in 2009 and 2011. The former shows this road in all it's 'glory'. Yet, just two years later...it's completely gone. ☮

[@tonywoodhouse6988]

You can also see the construction of the new road too.

[@whispjohn]

It is LIMPNEE if you want to get it right. I lived in Gravesend as a young lad and me and my mates would have to cross that road to go scrumping. We drove down the A2 to get to the channel when going on holiday to France. In fact it was THE main road because motorways were quite a noveltyback then. Halcion days for me and my mates.

[@SteliosBen302]

Happy new year guys, great video of an area local to me, amazing how much of the old A2 still survives, even by the service station heading back to the Wrotham Road you effectively travel on what was the coast bound entry slip road which has it's original surfacing intact complete with burnt-off markings and filled in bits where the cats-eyes and studs used to be at the exit to the services. Keep the videos coming :)

[@AutoShenanigans]

Happy new year buddy!! Thanks for watching. You're not wrong..it seems like quite an odd set up by the services.

[@patrickyorke3028]

Very interesting. I'm sure the value of those houses sky-rocketed.

[@markiesmith4537]

In the thirties a lot of out of town "motels" were built - except they called them "Roadhouses" then... a mix of motel and pub with sometimes a swimming pool thrown in (as in the "Ace of Spades" on the A3 ) ...well known as places where people went for a bit of illicit rumpty-tumpty and viewed as being populated by villains, cads, lounge lizards and women of "easy virtue" ... Graham Greene wrote of one on the A23 in "Brighton Rock"

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

I remember that three-laned road. Scary…

[@brusselssprouts560]

Maybe have a look at "Lord Of The Manor" traffic area in Ramsgate, Kent. There is an access road supposedly heading into Cliffsend "village" that goes nowhere. Very Bizarre!

[@AquaValet2009]

I remember driving down here in summer 2008. Westbound had already been moved over to the new road, and for the first week or two of driving for a 10 week period over the summer the eastbound was on the old road, before then being switched over to the new road.

[@micbsounds]

Gravesend, played quite a few music gigs there. Not sure if I have driven near the abandoned road but will think of it next time I'm there. Happy New Year Jon and looking forward to more motoring this year!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Happy new year sir. Thanks for watching.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Thanks Jon for another video, hope you have a great new year and all the best for 2022! Onwards and upwards for next year !

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks for watching mate. Happy new year!

[@AdeReeves]

Have a great 2022...looking forward to more "shenanigans " and loving the outtakes ...its not easy this You tube scuff 😁

[@AutoShenanigans]

I struggle with outtakes as they're not usually that funny😂 Thanks for watching.. really appreciate it mate. All the best for 2022!

[@scythal]

That looks like a great place for a weekend walk, and I'm not even from the UK!

[@dodgydruid]

Umm its "root-ham" not "rotham" as locals would be quick to point out, they get quite cross about it too lol I remember the old Tollgate, also remember my uncle's failed E petrol station almost opposite and further down the Little Chef round the back of what was RAF Gravesend now Riverview Park which my ol' mum was manageress of for a good while. Back in the 70's the A2 wasn't tarmac'd from the end of the M2 right up to Crayford, just concrete slabbing and loud noises coupled with the curses from drivers whose crossply tyres were making life very very miserable inside the car lol

[@rickconstant6106]

In my earliest memory of the A2 at the Wrotham Road/Tollgate junction (in the early 60s), it was a single carriageway crossroads with traffic lights.

[@roddymcniven8734]

Wow, I’m blown away.

[@simonnicholls5619]

You should look at the old A12 in Copdock near ipswich

[@AutoShenanigans]

We did! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5vOiX2OedWMsKM

[@bmz281]

Used to live right next to it and learnt to ride a bike on it

[@stephencopps1561]

People could live in these abandoned buildings that are boarded up! Yes! Squatters! They tend to improve them when the opportunity arises!!!

[@tommcglone2867]

Eh!?! Me and my family on our way to a holiday stopped for the night in Canterbury. We went down this section. Now its gone? I feel very old.

[@eggy77]

Good that this abandoned road has been repurposed as a cycle path etc. Surely many of the other abandoned roads could be put to a similar use if they aren't completely useless, especially given tarmac lasts a hell of a long time

[@shaunr70]

Big up the gravesend massive

[@AutoShenanigans]

A lovely day out is Gravesend :D

[@09gdt]

@@AutoShenanigans unless you live here.....

[@thatguyuk1]

@@AutoShenanigans just glad you made it back alive.

[@thatguyuk1]

@@09gdt truth

[@danq.5140]

Love the out takes 😆

[@timbennett3348]

I'm sad to hear of the Tollgate Inn. We had my grand dad's funeral wake there in July 2004.

[@sarkybugger5009]

If nobody else has mentioned it below, Lympne is pronounced Lim.

[@SportyMabamba]

Of course it is 🤣 Gotta love the old placenames

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@SportyMabamba If Lympne doesn't trip you up, we also have a couple of Houghams nearby. Pronounced Huffem. 🤣

[@SportyMabamba]

@@sarkybugger5009 In MK we have Loughton, Woughton and Broughton. All pronounced differently! I’d also like to take a moment to plug the Map Men video on this topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4qxq6Sdipyhl5Y

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@SportyMabamba That's particularly evil. Well played whoever thought those up. Cheers!

[@officialmcdeath]

Limm Edit I see someone caught this at the time - this is my second clip of yours in a very short span, I'm sold - subbed with bells on - good work! \m/

[@freqeist]

we have this at filrle /glynde east sussex it was S shape now just a straight line A27

[@RichieRouge206]

Another great video John

[@AutoShenanigans]

Cheers mate!

[@nickbarber2080]

I rode the "old" dual-carriageway countless times on my old BMW R100....

[@MrMaster2262]

Ghost Road by Day Race Track by Night

[@elitesennabubble]

My nan lives right by here its a great place to walk the dog

[@noelht1]

I enjoyed this, in a strange way, so I just subscribed

[@06howea1]

Nice informative video this is cool

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks for watching mate!

[@PA3456]

Worked on the a2 in 2007 to 2009

[@charliecroker7380]

Gravesend, never a more aptly named place.

[@EbenBransome]

"The Reeve's End", i.e. the end of the territory adminstered by the Reeve of the Norman Bishop whose fief it was. And "Gravesham" - the home or hamlet where the Reeve lived. The original coat of arms of Gravesend were those of the Reeve who lost power when it became a free town.

[@cuddlepaws4423]

When you said the local Karens soon put a stop to it, it made my husband think, if there was one Karen walking past another, would it be a Dual-Karenway? 🤔🤔

[@millersimpson4307]

Could you please have a look if there is anywhere like this in Dartford please.

[@AutoShenanigans]

I'll try but the a2 is probably your nearest.

[@gizzymoee]

Could you do the unfinished road in Yate, Bristol? They didn’t finish it as they could afford to build the bridge to complete the road.

[@AutoShenanigans]

kaboom! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZK8loSAn6-sotE

[@CazTanto]

Yep, all but a motorway. I'm not sure if it's a bit of urban legend but I have heard it remains an A-Road for farm access. It's certainly always a double-take moment on occasion when you do spot a tractor on there. Also, many local driving instructors would use it to get their students used to motorways because it works the same but legally all normal A-road traffic can use it; learners included (I know the law changed in 2018 though). In fact, it was possible to be taken on it as part of your test route when they had the centre at Gravesend. I had enough tests there, so that I know for a fact. Also, I may as well address the pronounciation of Lympne while I'm here; as it doesn't seem to have been covered yet 😂 I assume it's pronounced "Limb" the same as in Port Lympne, being as the Safari Park is situated in Lympne lol.

[@robjames5228]

All the direct access points to the A2 were blocked up and removed by the widening scheme. Bit of an urban legend.

[@paulhayesmore3754]

Wrotham Road is pronounced root ham road by the locals 😃

[@Graham_Langley]

And by non-locals. The main BBC VHF radio transmitter for London and the SE is Wrotham.

[@piggybakkers]

Wrotham road. Pronounced- Rootam.

[@AntneeUK]

"A full tri-lane dual carriage way" 😂

[@MikeWooshy]

It bugs me that the 4 lane motorway grade section that was constructed wasn't called the M2 & all junctions appropriately renumbered.

[@EbenBransome]

Wrotham makes perfect sense if you understand why Frome is pronounced Froom. In Shakespeare's time that o was pronounced "oo" - so "Rome" was pronounced "Room", home was "hoom" and so on. People in Wrotham and Frome just didn't change the pronunciation when the rest of the country did. Nor did the Romans - it's still pronounced something like that in Italian. Now try Sedbergh in Cumbria which is pronounced "Sayver".

[@SuperTreemendus]

I felt sorry for you, so I just subscribed.

[@philjcarter]

This is my local A road, completely forgot about this hidden gem.

[@ksoma228]

you probably know the local 'karen' then :p 1:50

[@andrewholdaway813]

Karens? Surely nimbys.

[@carlabrams5072]

Whether by design or omission, you don't say if the road is still a legal byway for motorised vehicles. You mention some sections have been re-purposed for cycles and pedestrians but does this mean a traffic order has been applied to restrict motorised traffic? For the record, I am both a pedestrian and a cyclist, I just like to take my motorbike to explore some distant areas and places like this would be good to explore - with all due consideration toward other users, of course.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Most of these locations are closed to motorised traffic. If we could drive rather than walk, we would ;-) A bike would work...

[@johndent8813]

Living in the area, I can tell you that it's closed to all motor traffic. E-bikes use it of course and you might find the very occasional van collecting the rubbish from the bins dotted along it but the public can't get there with a motor vehicle.

[@robjames5228]

The old A2 was blocked up by the scheme, removing any rites for motor vehicles to traverse it

[@carlabrams5072]

Such a shame that roads are lost. So little of public access is open to motorised vehicles and as the population grows, so the access is restricted more. I refuse to become a buswinker... ;-)

[@ifaiful]

I think 2022 is even S***ier.

[@Deef3lony]

Can I drive my amg there ? 😬

[@jusb1066]

Wrotham , Pronounced root'em.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yes... I realise my error now. We make it difficult for ourselves really... :D

[@rickconstant6106]

@@AutoShenanigans we've also got Meopham (pronounced "Meppam") and Trottiscliffe (pronounced "Trosley") nearby.

[@stevebrayne2609]

Wrotham road pronounced Routum road. No idea why.

[@AutoShenanigans]

It's rather odd isn't it!! Thanks for watching :)

[@worthingSarah]

ouch... Wrotham is pronounced 'Root'em'!

[@FallenAngel53]

I live in Liverpool pronounced Liverpool

[@r1nc3w1nd7]

0:54 It's pronounced "Lymph Node"

[@jamesleon5985]

Wrotham Road is pronounced ‘ Root-am ‘ .. just so you know .. 👌👍👍😂😂😂

[@milkwall]

Hi

[@johnvanstone5336]

Limp nee I believe is how you pronounce Lympne

[@davidbrazier9246]

No. Limm.

[@Jimbo-gi7xn]

Lympne = 'Lim'

[@AntonHu]

'Wrotham' (Road) is pronounced 'Rootam'

[@briandoyle667]

apparently its pronounced "limp"

[@antonydicesare4632]

Just pronounce it limb, port Lympne

[@edbridges1164]

Lympne is Pronounced the same way as Limb I've always seen it as odd another oddball is "Leigh" which is pronounced "Lie"

[@BillyCabrio1985]

The local Karen’s 😂

[@ymishaus2266]

Calling white women you hate "Karens" is perfectly acceptable, but the same can't be said for any other race. Why is that?

[@woowoo111111]

it's pronounced root-ham

[@MrGreatplum]

Ah, Kent and its weird pronunciations for place names!

[@AdamDTaylor]

Pronounced 'lim'

[@Blitterbug]

Haha it's pronounced "lim" believe it or not. Not from Kent eh mate!

[@mechanick1000]

please pronounce wrotham road correctly please

[@patrickw6934]

There's not a lot to see now, but at "///dreams.blunt.second" (What Three Words) and ///plank.spoke.rubble along the A25 in Kent are the remains of the road before it was straightened after the chicane effect caused too many accidents. I remember visiting the first part in the late seventies when it was still "as was" with kerbs both sides and two visible lanes. Now you'd be hard pressed to realise it was once an A road.