View source for A458 road

{{Short description|Road in England & Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox road
|country=GBR
| maint = [[National Highways]], [[English local authorities]] and North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency 
|type=A
|image=The A458 Enville - geograph.org.uk - 1510152.jpg
|route=458
|length_mi=86
|direction_a= West
|terminus_a = [[Mallwyd]]
|direction_b= East
|terminus_b = [[Halesowen]]
|junction   = {{jct|country=GBR|A|470|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|495|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|490|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|483|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|5|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|49|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|4169|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|442|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|454|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|449|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|491|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|459|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|456|name1= }}
|destinations= [[Welshpool]], [[Shrewsbury]], [[Bridgnorth]], [[Stourbridge]]
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 457
|next_route = 459
}}

The '''A458''' is a route on the [[United Kingdom|UK]] highway network that runs from [[Mallwyd]], near [[Machynlleth]], in [[Wales]], merging with the A456 [[Hagley Road]] and the Quinton Expressway on the outskirts of [[Birmingham]], in [[England]]. On the way it passes through [[Welshpool]], [[Shrewsbury]], [[Much Wenlock]], [[Bridgnorth]], [[Stourbridge]] and [[Halesowen]].

==History==
<!-- Sections needed on the Welsh portions -->

===Welshpool to Shrewsbury===
The road was one of several from "Welch Gate and Cotton Hill" (''sic'') [[Turnpike trust|turnpiked]] on 1758.<ref>Statute [[31 Geo. 2]]. c. 67.</ref> Between [[Buttington]] and [[Halfway House, Shropshire|Halfway House]] the original course of the road was abandoned after it was disturnpiked in 1837. It was replaced by a new road built along the foot of Moelygolfa (hill), built in 1801.  This Turnpike Trust ended in 1877.<ref>{{cite book |first=Barrie |last=Trinder |title=Industrial Archaeology of Shropshire |pages=192, 255}}</ref>

===Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth===
This road is likely to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, as it links the [[burh]]s of Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.  It was used by the army of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], which cleared trees near it on [[Wenlock Edge]] to make the road safe.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}<!-- Need to find the source for this one! -->  The road was [[Toll road|turnpiked]] in 1752, the trust being solely concerned with this road.  It remained a turnpike until 1875.<ref>Statute [[25 Geo. 2]]. c. 49</ref><ref>B. Trinder, 253.</ref>

The Bridgnorth bypass, opened in 1985, was classified as A458, taking the main road around the south of the town,<ref>[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1417957 geograph.org.uk]</ref> previously it ran through Low Town, but ran along low ground at the foot of the hillside up to the town centre.

===Bridgnorth to Quinton===
The final section of the road was a late creation, consisting of a road laid out in 1805 when Morfe Heath was enclosed (as far as [[Six Ashes]] and then various existing roads for the rest of its route.  This was turnpiked in 1816 and remained under the control of a trust until 1877. It terminates in the [[Quinton, Birmingham|Quinton]] area on Halesowen's border with [[Birmingham]] and [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]]. The split junction with Stourbridge Ring Road on the western side of the town replaced the formerly two way narrow section of the road but which necessitated the demolition of buildings on the new alignment.

Until the 1950s, it terminated in Halesowen town centre, but was extended approximately two miles eastwards in the 1950s along the former route of the A456, which was by-passed on a new road around the south of the town.<ref>Statute [[56 Geo. 3]]. c.16</ref><ref>B. Trinder, 258.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Trunk roads in Wales]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{GB A road zone 4}}
{{Motorways and Trunk Roads in Wales}}
{{Transport in Powys}}

{{coord|52.71183|N|2.87928|W|type:landmark_region:GB_dim:30000|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0458}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Wales]]
[[Category:Transport in Powys]]
[[Category:Transport in Shropshire]]
[[Category:Roads in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Roads in Gwynedd]]


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