The Red Roads of Kenton Bar Estate
I was musing on Kenton Bar the other day when a memory came into my tiny head. I was speaking to someone a few years ago and mentioned that I grew up on Kenton Bar Estate and the person said “Oh – you mean that place with red roads?”. I was puzzled at the time and on returning home did indeed notice that the road running down Hazeldene Avenue do have a reddish tinge. The main surface ‘bitumen’ is red in colour and the stones embedded into it for grip were black/grey.
Later in life I came to know that this was/is an experimental road surface that diminishes road spray. Anyone else noticed anywhere else in the country with red roads?
Red Meets Black
This is a picture of the red/black junction at the top of Kenton Bar, junction of Hazeldene Avenue and Kenton Lane
And this is a picture of the junction of Hazeldene Avenue and Quentin Avenue, again showing red meeting black!
I note that there has been a repair of the red road near the shops on Hazeldene Avenue and it has been done with black surface – shame on you council!!!
excellent work master...I had totally overlooked this fascinating piece of historical jigsaw! outstanding...
ReplyDeleteand the new traffic lights are visible...
ReplyDeleteNot far from where I live is Clifton Drive, the main road through Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, and this road always used to be surfaced in red, but as with Hazeldene there is an increased number of black patches.
ReplyDeleteThe road has been surfaced in red consistenly since I was a bairn in the late 1970s.
Incidentally, parts of this road are very posh, on a par with Darras Hall, and the residents are known to complain if the road is surfaced other than in red. No doubt their faces would turn the same colour if they knew about Hazeldene Avenue.
Example photo at http://bit.ly/lYST5D
very interesting Andrew, and thanks for contribution and continued interest in the blog...
ReplyDelete