The A26 road is a primary route in the southeast of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, going from

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

to Newhaven through the counties of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

. The road is almost entirely single carriageway with one lane on each side, although some of the road is three lanes, with the middle lane switching sides for overtaking and right turns. The road runs for a total distance of some and provides access to the North Kent area and its industrial base with the

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

port of Newhaven. As consequence, it has a large Heavy Goods Vehicle usage.

History

The A26 was originally classified in 1922 due to the

Ministry of Transport Act 1919 The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

, which in section 19 instructed the classification of all major roads. The original route went from

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, along part of what is now the A27. The part of the road going from

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of t ...

was later reclassified to the A27 between 1947 and 1951. The road was later extended along the B2109 to Newhaven after 1969.

Route

Maidstone to Tonbridge

The road starts as a non-primary route at a gyratory with the A20, in Maidstone, and then heads west to the A228, through

Barming Barming is a civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It lies to the west of Maidstone and at the 2011 census had a population of 2,690. The eastern end of the parish is part of the built-up area of Maidstone, although the remaind ...

Barming Heath Barming Heath is an area of north-western Maidstone in Kent, England. Its parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. See also *Barming *East Barming *Oakwood Hospital Oakwood Hospital in Barming Heath near Maidstone, England was a psychiatric ...

Teston Teston /ˈtiːstən/ The Place Names of Kent,Judith Glover,1976,Batsford. or /ˈtiːsən/ BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names — is a village in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It is located on the A26 road out of Maidston ...

Wateringbury Wateringbury is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows into the River Medway just above Bow Bridge. It formerly powered three watermills in the village, one of which survives. The ...

, and

Mereworth Mereworth is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle. Mereworth is pronou ...

where it becomes a primary route. It then turns southwest towards

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

and shares the route of the A228 until the next roundabout with Seven Mile Lane. The A26 passes through

Hadlow Hadlow is a village in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is situated in the Medway valley, north-east of Tonbridge and south-west of Maidstone. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte (in the Textus Roffens ...

and the edge of Tonbridge. Since 1970SABRE https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Network_changes_-_1970s it has formed an eastern bypass of Tonbridge town centre, which terminates at the Vauxhall roundabout where there are slip roads to the A21 dual carriageway. From this roundabout the A2014 Pembury Road runs into Tonbridge. The A26 route resumes at the west end of Pembury Road and heads south as Quarry Hill, forming a second grade-separated junction with the A21.

Tonbridge to Maresfield

South of Tonbride the A26 passes through

Bidborough Bidborough is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells and south of Tonbridge. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 958, increasing to 1,163 at the 2011 Census. ...

, Southborough,

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks ...

, Eridge Green, and Boarshead. The road then passes through Crowborough, going past the B2100, and then goes towards

Maresfield Maresfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village itself lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from Uckfield; the nearby villages of Nutley and Fairwarp; and the smaller settlements of ...

, where it is interrupted by the A22.

Ridgewood to Newhaven

Again heading south-west, the road meets with the A2029 in

after passing

Little Horsted Little Horsted (also known as ''Horsted Parva'') is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. It is located two miles (3.2 km) south of Uckfield, on the A26 road. The village is recorded in the Domesday ...

, and leaves Lewes heading south via Cuilfail Tunnel until it is interrupted again, this time by the A27. After a short stretch of road where it is merged with the A27 it heads south, ending on the

A259 The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye and Folkes ...

in Newhaven, after passing Tarring Neville and

South Heighton South Heighton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is seven miles (12 km) south of Lewes. In the 1890s the village's population grew from less than 100 to over 500 after a cement manu ...

Distinguishing features

When entering Lewes from the direction of Uckfield, one is met with a view of the chalk cliffs at the very edge of the South Downs. Following this you will enter the Cuilfail Tunnel, constructed in 1983, which leaves at the roundabout ''The Culfail Spiral'', a sculpture created by

Peter Randall-Page Peter Randall-Page RA (born 1954) is a British artist and sculptor, known for his stone sculpture work, inspired by geometric patterns from nature. In his words "geometry is the theme on which nature plays her infinite variations, fundamental m ...

Junctions

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, 0 , 0 , , -

, Ditton , , - , rowspan="3", — , 3.4 , 5.4 , , B2163 -

West Farleigh West Farleigh is a village and civil parish four miles (6km) southwest of Maidstone in the county of Kent. The parish has a population of approximately 450, and is bounded by the civil parishes of East Farleigh, Hunton, Yalding, and over the Riv ...

Coxheath Coxheath is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of Maidstone. It is mainly centred along Heath Road which links the villages of Yalding and Boughton Monchelsea to the we ...

, , - , 4.3 , 6.9 , , B2015 -

East Peckham East Peckham is a village and civil parish in Kent, England on the River Medway. The parish covers the main village as well as Hale Street and Beltring. History The Domesday entry for East and West Peckham reads:- :'' The Archbishop himself h ...

, , - , 6.6 , 10.6 , , - Kings Hill,

B2016 -

Wrotham Heath Wrotham Heath is a settlement in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is part of the civil parish of Wrotham Wrotham ( ) is a village on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is north ...

, , - , rowspan="5",

, 14.4 , 23.2 , , B2017 - Tudeley , , - , 15 , 24 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , -

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...

, bgcolor="ddffdd" , Continues as A2014 , - , colspan="5" bgcolor="ddffdd" align="center", ''concurrency with the A2014'' , - , 15.7 , 25.3 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , - Junction with A21
B2260 -

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London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, bgcolor="ffdddd" , No eastbound entry to A21 or westbound exit from A21 , - , rowspan="4",

, 17.3 , 27.8 , , B2176 -

Penshurst Penshurst is a historic village and civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, within the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The village is situ ...

, , - , 20.1 , 32.3 , , - Langton Green,

Pembury Pembury is a large village in Kent, in the south east of England, with a population of 6,128 at the 2011 Census. It lies just to the north-east of Royal Tunbridge Wells. The village centre, including the village green and High Street area is a ...

, , - , 20.5 , 33.0 , , B2023 -

, , - , 25.6 , 33.1 , , -

Frant Frant is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, on the Kentish border about three miles (5 km) south of Royal Tunbridge Wells. When the iron industry was at its height, much of the village was owned b ...

, , - , rowspan="12",

Crowborough Crowborough is a town and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the Weald at the edge of Ashdown Forest in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 miles ( ...

, 27.2 , 43.7 , , B2100 -

Rotherfield Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. The River Rother, which ...

, , - , rowspan="2", — , 33.4 , 53.8 , , -

Buxted Buxted is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex in England. The parish is situated on the Weald, north of Uckfield; the settlements of Five Ash Down, Heron's Ghyll and High Hurstwood are included within its boundarie ...

, , - , 33.8 , 54.4 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , -

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

, bgcolor="ddffdd" , Continues as A22 , - , rowspan="2",

Uckfield Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald. Etymology 'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...

, colspan="5" bgcolor="ddffdd" align="center", ''concurrency with the A22'' , - , 36.6 , 58.9 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , -

Hailsham Hailsham is a town, a civil parish and the administrative centre of the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Da ...

, bgcolor="ddffdd" , Continues from A22 , - , rowspan="3",

, 42.5 , 68.4 , , B2192 -

, , - , 43.2 , 69.5 , , -

, , - , 44.0 , 70.9 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , -

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

, bgcolor="ddffdd" , Continues as A27 , - , rowspan="2", — , colspan="5" bgcolor="ddffdd" align="center", ''concurrency with the A27'' , - , 45.5 , 73.2 , bgcolor="ddffdd" , , bgcolor="ddffdd" , -

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the l ...

, bgcolor="ddffdd" , Continues from A27 , - , rowspan="2", Newhaven , 49.9 , 80.3 , , B2109 - Newhaven , , - , 50.6 , 81.4 , , -

Peacehaven Peacehaven is a town and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is located above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs approximately six miles () east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road. Its site coincides with th ...

, Seaford , , - *Ceremonial Counties ;Coordinate list

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2-0026 Roads in England Transport in East Sussex Roads in Kent Road tunnels in England