Ashridge Drive

Why wasn't this area of land built upon?

By Alan Birch

In the early 60’s I used to go to the Dentist in Bromborough Green this involved walking from Murfield Road to Ashridge Drive the footpath was near Chilwell Gardens. I always wondered why this area of land wasn’t build upon. And the other side of the Prestwick Road. It can been seen clearly, on this google map, a link to the ringways on the internet

I recently came across an article about the pre M25 plans called “Ringways” Looking further I came across an entry :

Ringway 3 M16: To the rear of the file is a large folded map on which are marked routes from the M1 to Heathrow Airport, including the North Orbital, routes then in use on existing roads via Harrow, some D-Ring proposed alignments and a pencil sketch from South Oxhey running west of Watford to Hunton Bridge, which is labelled “Aylesbury Radial”.

This has inspired a number of questions. Does anyone know the answers?

Why was there a Gap in Housing between Murfield Road and Ashridge Drive?

Would the gap left in the housing be in preparation for the road which never was?

Why did the planners cut ashridge drive off from the rest of the estate?

Did the residents feel the gap?

Has anyone any memories of the “Aylesbury Radial?

This page was added on 21/02/2011.

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  • I must agree that as a child growing up in the 60’s in Bromborough Green I always wondered why Ashridge drive was separated from Muirfield Rd only by a footpath, we called it the cindertrack. As a lifelong hgv driver its interesting to find out it was kept clear for the possibility of a main road. Incidentally, living in Bromborough Green and having a dentist on my doorstep did me no favours as I don’t have any teeth now.

    By Russell Edwards (17/01/2023)
  • I’ve no idea why the gap was left but as a child growing up in Bromborough Green I do know that I felt terror every winter’s day walking home from school and an after-school club in the dark on my own. I recall feeling relief when I got to the bollards at the end on Ashridge Drive, feeling I could breathe again and had made it! I don’t know why on earth they only put one light in the middle of such a long path across the fields, sometimes teenagers smashed that and then it was pitch black!

    By Sue Lemasurier (10/01/2018)
  • The land between Ashridge Drive and Murfield Road was originally planned to be part of the early plans for a London orbital road, this section was planned to link up with another section in Harrow. This planned route was superseded many time until the present M25 was built?

    By David Nixon (28/09/2015)
  • The B ring road would have cut right through the estate – early aerial pics clearlyshow the cleared area. The road would have crossed Prestwick Rd just along from the Dick Whittington pub by way of a flyover!

    By Neil Hamilton (04/07/2012)
  • When we were buying our house in Sidmouth Close in the 1970s , this road came up in the search but plans had long been abandoned .

    By Sue Green (23/02/2011)