Hogarth Roundabout

The Hogarth Roundabout is one of London's best known road junctions. It is situated at the junction of the A316 Great Chertsey Road and the A4 Great West Road in Chiswick.

Hogarth Roundabout looking north from the A316

Roundabout

The Hogarth Roundabout is named after the eighteenth-century painter William Hogarth who lived in nearby Hogarth's House. It is also the location of the Griffin Brewery of Fuller, Smith and Turner (where beer has been brewed since 1654), the George and Devonshire pub (built in 1790), and the newly developed Hogarth Modern showroom and offices.

The roundabout is noteworthy for the single lane flyover which carries eastbound traffic from the A316 on to the A4. The flyover was built as a temporary measure in 1971, using the Bridgway format devised and offered to local authorities by well-connected construction firm Marples Ridgeway Ltd.[1]

Hogarth Roundabout looking east and south

It was quickly put together with a cheap steel frame and was designed to last no more than a few years. The central span has pairs of diagonal cross-braces to give the structure strength and help protect it against strong winds. The junction would have been incorporated into the plans for the London Ringways[2] project and a far more substantial permanent structure put in place, however, the London Ringways plans were finally scrapped in the latter years of the 20th century. Recently, a major refurbishment to install a new deck, surface and parapets has ensured its survival and confirmed its stature as a permanent fixture.[3]

The junction is of the greatest importance to the local road infrastructure. On 29 October 2013, after the previous day's stormy winds, Transport for London inspectors discovered 'defects' and closed the flyover, declaring it "unsafe". A statement from Garrett Emmerson mentioned engineers identified a degradation in the concrete road deck which forms part of the flyover's structure. Traffic was diverted onto the Hogarth roundabout below and reports suggested that slow moving westbound traffic on the A316 led to queues forming as far back as the Hammersmith flyover junction.[4]

References
  1. "News and Views: Instant flyover". Autocar. 128 (3759): 57. 29 February 1968.
  2. "Ringways". CBRD. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. "Hogarth Flyover". Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  4. "Flyover Closed At Hogarth Roundabout". Chiswick W4. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2015.

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