MT 121/557

South Orbital route M25: Kent and Surrey sections; preliminary report by the South Eastern Road Construction Unit (RCU)

Date range	1968
Location	National Archives (see all files stored here)
Catalogue	See entry
File base	Series MT, subseries MT 121

Context

The actual title of this file puts it in better context than the one above: its folder is labelled "Provision of Service Areas: South Orbital Road: Consideration of Sites". It's about selecting where services would go on what became the M25. In the end we got one at Clacket Lane, which is considered here as "Westerham". It is, to use modern internet parlance, a real chonky boi of a file, containing plans and photographs as well as lots of papers.

The gist is that Stanwell Moor, Downside (near Leatherhead), Westerham and Chevening were all considered as possible sites, and no decision was made by the end of the file.

Contents of note

• Line and order plans for M25 Leatherhead-Wrotham and, separately, M25 Leatherhead-Merstham.
• Plan sheets of parts of Godstone-Sevenoaks section, including Chevening interchange as a three-level stacked roundabout interchange with service area. There are two different versions of this junction here, some with connection to the local roads to the north and some without.
• Preferred route plan, Godstone-Westerham, with sites for services around Clacket Lane and a junction at Westerham.
• Undated key plan of what is now M26 (labelled "M25 Wrotham Spur") showing M20 diverging as now.
• Photographs of possible service area sites at Titsey Wood and Chevening, taken in the snow so you can't actually see anything useful. One shows the A21 Sevenoaks Bypass at Chevening where M25 J5 is now.

People with camera copies

Chris Marshall has a partial copy.