HLG 159/2333
The Old Chiswick Protection Society: realisation of the Greater London Council proposals on roads in Chiswick; map of the Hogarth Interchange
| Date range | 1971 |
| Location | National Archives (see all files stored here) |
| Catalogue | See entry |
| File base | Series HLG, subseries HLG 159 |
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This file is truly delightful. It is likely to bring a smile to your face, probably because it contains the sort of thing that makes trawling through dusty archive documents worthwhile. The thing in this file that makes your day might actually have nothing to do with its subject matter. |
Context
This document contains a single piece of paper stuffed into an envelope but it's exactly what I've been looking for. The sheet of paper extends to A1 size and shows a 1/1250 scale plan of Hogarth Roundabout transformed into a large GSJ with the A316 merging onto the A4 into Central London and a roundabout thingy for local traffic. The detail shown is unbelievable and includes things such as lane markings. This tells us the A316 and A4 to the west are both D3 and the A4 between Hogarth Roundabout and Hammersmith is D4. Six lanes merging into four would have been quite a sight in the morning rush!
The map is based on OS 1/1250 mapping but has been completely redrawn by hand. Buildings are shown black or light grey depending on whether they're staying or have a date with the bulldozer. Dorchester Grove and Cornwall Grove are completely eliminated and Fullers Brewery loses some of its land. Chiswick Lane North is dualled and forms a link to Chiswick High Road.
As if this isn't enough there's more. In the corner of the map is a 6" inset showing the whole Chiswick Triangle complex in full detail. The junctions are different to those shown in HLG 159/2274, GLC/DG/AR/6/093 and the M4 page in the CBRD Ringway article so it makes you wonder how many designs exist for these junctions. In addition it shows all the motorways as depressed and most of the local roads stopped up with just the odd few passing over the motorway, including Sutton Court Road so that answers the question as to whether a GSJ was planned there. And I haven't finished yet. The issue of replacing, widening or duplicating the elevated M4 is partly answered as there's a little note in the corner of the map "The duplication of the elevated M4 shown below is not shown in the GLDP but implicit in traffic loads forecast".
Note from Chris
A note of caution on this one, having seen it for myself. It's a copy of a hand-drawn plan sheet that was submitted to the GLDP Inquiry by a protest group opposing the Primary Road Network as evidence for their grievances. It's not clear where the information on the plan was sourced or whether it's just an illustration of the sort of thing that might be built, and there's no supporting paperwork to say what the group were trying to illustrate with it. There's certainly evidence that some protest groups drew their own plans as a way of shocking the inquiry panel with the potential damage a motorway would do to their area. So this is a brilliant junction plan but needs to be used with extreme care.
My personal feeling is that the Hogarth Interchange looks very well proportioned and might be copied from an official plan, but the wider Chiswick Triangle diagram is questionable, having duplicated movements, right-hand entries and exits and no local access at the Chiswick Roundabout.
- HLG 159/386 Chiswick Triangle: environmental objections; questions to London Borough of Hounslow (1972)
- HLG 159/936 London Borough of Hounslow: study of Greater London Development Plan highway and transport proposals for Hounslow; Chiswick ringway plans (1971)
- HLG 159/2274 The Grove Park Group: consideration of the West London Interchange at Chiswick and likely physical impact on the Grove Park area (1971)
People with camera copies
James Bancroft obviously has copies of this.
