View source for Scotch Corner

{{short description|Junction of the A1 and A66 road in North Yorkshire, England}}
{{about|the A1(M)–A66 junction|the junction in London|Scotch Corner (Knightsbridge)}}
{{use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox road junction
|country= GBR
|road_type= M
|name= Scotch Corner
|image=
|image_caption=
|other_names=
|location= [[Middleton Tyas]], [[North Yorkshire]]
|coord= {{coord|54.4426|N|1.6690|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline, title}}
|roads= {{plainlist|
*{{jct|country=GBR|AM|1}}
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|66}}
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|6055}}
}}
|type= [[Roundabout interchange]]
|spans=
|lanes=
|const=
|contractor=
|opened=  <!--{{Start date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
|height=
|width=
|maint= [[National Highways]]
|tolls=
|map=
|map_alt=
}}
{{Image frame
| align=right
| innerstyle=font-size: 92%; background:#F8F8F8;
| width=240
| content={{Location map
  | North Yorkshire#United Kingdom motorways
  | lat=54.4426
  | long=-1.6690
  | caption = Location in [[North Yorkshire]]##Location in UK motorway network
  | label = Scotch Corner
  | border = infobox
  }}
}}

'''Scotch Corner''' is a [[Junction (road)|junction]] of the [[A1(M) motorway|A1(M)]] and [[A66 road|A66]] [[Trunk road#United Kingdom|trunk roads]] near [[Richmond, North Yorkshire|Richmond]] in [[North Yorkshire]], England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland",<ref name="RSH">{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/Richmond.html |title=Richmond and Swaledale History |publisher=Yorkshire-england.co.uk |accessdate=8 March 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301121431/http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/Richmond.html|archivedate=1 March 2012|url-status=unfit}}</ref> and is a [[Roads in the United Kingdom#Primary destinations|primary destination]] signposted from as far away as the [[M6 motorway]], {{convert|50|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} away. The name of the junction is derived from the fact that it is the point of divergence for traffic coming from [[London]], the [[East Midlands]] and [[Yorkshire]] wishing to continue either to [[Edinburgh]] and eastern [[Scotland]] (along the A1(M)) or to [[Glasgow]] and western Scotland (by taking the A66).

==Toponym==
The name originated from being the junction where the north–south [[Roman road]] known as [[Dere Street]], which crossed the [[River Tees]] at [[Piercebridge]], met the Roman road that went west through [[Bowes]] and [[Brough, Cumbria|Brough]].<ref name="Lloyd">{{cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Chris |date=12 March 2018 |title=History of Scotch Corner - once the site of a battle between Romans and Brigantes, 2,000 years ago |newspaper=The Northern Echo |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/16081471.history-of-scotch-corner-once-the-site-of-a-battle-between-romans-and-brigantes-2000-years-ago/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313140547/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/16081471.history-of-scotch-corner-once-the-site-of-a-battle-between-romans-and-brigantes-2000-years-ago/ |archive-date=13 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is where travellers to eastern Scotland (now via [[A1(M) motorway|A1(M)]] and/or [[A68 road|A68]]) are separated from travellers to western Scotland (now via [[A66 road|A66]] and [[M6 motorway|M6]]/ [[A74(M) and M74 motorways|A74(M)/M74]]).

==Geography==
The A1(M) leads north towards [[North East England]] and [[Scotland]] and south towards London. The A66 leads north-west towards [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] and the [[M6 motorway]]. There are three other exits from the junction: the [[A6055 road]] north and south, with the southbound side leading to the [[A6108 road|A6108]] towards the [[Yorkshire Dales]] and [[Richmond, North Yorkshire|Richmond]]. The third exit is towards [[Middleton Tyas]] and [[Croft-on-Tees]] and also provides access to the services.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/54.442547,+-1.669581?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxOS4yIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&skid=d249ffe1-ddca-4c2e-bd3c-9e8f80e49e20|title=Scotch Corner|accessdate=25 March 2025|website=Google maps}}</ref> Other nearby locations include [[Gilling West]] and [[Aske Hall]].

The Scotch Corner area is drained by Scorton [[beck (stream)|Beck]], which eventually flows into the [[River Swale|Swale]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB104027069160|title=Scorton Beck from Source to River Swale Water Body|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=[[Environment Agency]]}}</ref> The area to the west of the junction is drained by Gilling Beck in the ''Skeeby/Holme/Dalton Beck'' catchment, also eventually flowing into the Swale<ref>{{cite web|url=https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB104027069180|title=Skeeby/Holme/Dalton Bk from Source to River Swale|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=[[Environment Agency]]}}</ref>

==History==
The [[Roman Britain|Romans]] were responsible for building the first roads to meet at this point and the site of the original junction is just a few hundred yards  from the modern-day junction.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tomlin |first1=Roger Simon Ovin |title=Britannia Romana: Roman inscriptions and Roman Britain |date=2018 |publisher=Oxbow Books |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-78570-700-1 |page=268 |chapter=10: Government and administrators}}</ref> In AD&nbsp;71 the Romans took control of the area when they defeated the [[Brigantes]], a [[Celt]]ic tribe, at the ''Battle of Scotch Corner'' (1st century).<ref name="RSH"/> There was a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner, with its own mint.<ref name="Lloyd" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Roman treasures found on A1 |date=10 April 2017 |publisher=Highways England, Government of the United Kingdom |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roman-treasures-found-on-a1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424221117/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roman-treasures-found-on-a1 |archive-date=24 April 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is a landmark for planning and describing routes. For example it is around {{convert|50|mi}} from Leeds, providing a useful distance for [[bicycle|cycling]] events.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Hearth and Home: An Illustrated Weekly Journal for Gentlewomen |date=26 October 1899|volume=27|issue=441|page=14|title= There have been recently some remarkable bicycling feats by ladies|quote=There have been recently some remarkable bicycling feats by ladies, and not the least remarkable is the feat of Mrs.&nbsp;W.&nbsp;Hargrave, of Leeds, who has established a world's record for a lady rider over an out and home course of a 100 miles in 6 hours 37 min. This Yorkshire lady rode the usual course-from the Post-office in Roundhay Road, Leeds, to Scotch corner and back}}</ref> It was used by cyclists for navigation.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Cycling: An Illustrated Weekly|volume=18|number=454|date=30 September 1899|page=20|title=Routes and replies: London to nearest point in Scotland|quote= The old Glasgow coach road, i.e., Great North Road up to Scotch Corner, then by [[Bowes]], over [[Stainmore]], to [[Brough, Cumbria|Brough]], and on by [[Appleby-in-Westmorland|Appleby]], [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]], and [[Carlisle]], to [[Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway|Gretna]]}}</ref> It was in a [[fox hunting]] district, providing a means of identifying the location when reporting events.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Horse and Hound]]|title=The Earl of Zetland's|date=10 November 1888|volume=5|issue=242|quote= The first draw was Ledbury Park, where a fox soon was on foot, who took the field at a great pace by Scotch Corner and [[Gatherley Castle|Gatherley Moor]]}}</ref>

The £8&nbsp;million Scotch Corner diversion opened in July 1971, which created a [[grade separation|grade separated]] junction on the A1.<ref>[http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/9th-july-1971/28/scotch-corner-interchange Scotch Corner interchange] ''[[Commercial Motor]]'' 9 July 1971 page 26</ref><ref name="DS">{{cite news |last1=Lloyd |first1=Chris |title=Life and Times of Scotch Corner Take a New Turn |work=Darlington & Stockton Times |issue=11–2018 |date=16 March 2018 |page=33|issn=2516-5348}}</ref> Later, a £380&nbsp;million upgrade of the A1 between Leeming Bar and Barton Interchange meant that the road was upgraded to three-lane motorway standard in March 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Copeland|first1=Alexa|title=A1(M) in North Yorkshire now fully open - But works not over just yet|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16126462.A1_M__in_North_Yorkshire_now_fully_open___But_works_not_over_just_yet/|access-date=30 March 2018|work=The Northern Echo|date=29 March 2018}}</ref> This created the opportunity for further archaeological investigation.<ref>{{cite journal| journal=NAA Monograph Series|volume=5|first=David W.|last=Fell|publisher=Northern Archaeological Associates|title=Contact, Concord and Conquest: Britons and Romans at Scotch Corner Digital Monograph|date=2020|location=York|doi=10.5284/1078330|url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/scotch_a1_2021/index.cfm}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Fell|first1=D. W.|last2=Johnson|first2=P. G.|date=2021|title=The Evolution of Dere Street from Routeway to Motorway: Evidence from the Dishforth to Barton A1 Motorway Improvements|publisher=Northern Archaeological Associates|doi=10.5284/1086871|url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1185365&recordType=Monograph}}</ref>

==Facilities==
[[File:Services, Scotch Corner - geograph.org.uk - 269434.jpg|thumb|The front entrance of Moto Hospitality, Scotch Corner]]
''The Three Tuns'' [[coaching inn]] stood at Scotch Corner from the 1820s.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Evening Chronicle]]|url= https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/beamish-museums-1950s-town-here-16477739|title= Beamish Museum's 1950s Town - here is what's happening next at the County Durham attraction|first=Barbara |last=Hodgson|date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m1auEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT234|title=The Great North Road: London to Edinburgh|first=Steve|last=Silk|page=234|publisher= Summersdale|date=2021|isbn= 978-1800070493}}</ref> The inn subsequently became a [[Roadhouse (facility)|roadhouse]] in the early days of motorised travel.<ref name="Lloyd" />  It was demolished in 1939 when the road was widened.<ref name=Lloyd/> The Scotch Corner Hotel was established there in 1939, built on the site of a mid-16th century inn and now operated by [[Holiday Inn]].<ref name="Lloyd" /><ref name="BBC-1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-420000-504000/page/16 |title=Domesday Reloaded: Scotch Corner Hotel |publisher=BBC |access-date=8 March 2012|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120315032724/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-420000-504000/page/16|archivedate=15 March 2012}}</ref> Almost as soon as it was opened, part of the hotel was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force for convalescing airmen.<ref name="DS"/> In 2011 it underwent a £3&nbsp;million refurbishment.<ref>{{cite news|last=Amos |first=Mike |date=31 January 2012 |title=Third degree burns |newspaper=The Northern Echo |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/mikeamos/mikeamos/9503415.print/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323210851/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/mikeamos/mikeamos/9503415.print/ |archive-date=23 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Holiday Inn, Scotch Corner |publisher=Projekt Architects |url=http://projektarchitects.com/architects/portfolio/leisure/holiday-inn-scotch-corner/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313151748/http://projektarchitects.com/architects/portfolio/leisure/holiday-inn-scotch-corner/ |archive-date=13 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A [[Moto Hospitality]] service station opened here in 1980.<ref name="BBC-1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-420000-504000/page/18 |title=Domesday Reloaded: Highway Service Station |publisher=BBC |access-date=8 March 2012|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120318165827/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-420000-504000/page/18|archivedate=18 March 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom: S]]
{{Portal bar|Roads|Yorkshire}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Scotch Corner}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/scotch_corner.htm|title=Page outlining some history of Scotch Corner|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183202/http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/scotch_corner.htm|archivedate=3 March 2016}}

{{NSEW|[[Darlington]]|[[Boroughbridge]], [[Wetherby]]|[[North York Moors]]|[[Richmond, North Yorkshire|Richmond]], [[Barnard Castle]]|||||}}
{{UK motorways}}
{{UK Motorway Service Stations}}

[[Category:Motorway junctions in England]]
[[Category:Moto motorway service stations]]
[[Category:Transport in North Yorkshire]]
[[Category:A1(M) motorway service stations]]
[[Category:Middleton Tyas]]