View source for South Circular Road, London

{{Short description|Major road in south London, England}}
{{redirect|A205|the Fujifilm A205 camera|Fujifilm FinePix A series}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox road
|country=ENG
|type=A
|route=205
|name=South Circular Road
|map={{switcher
 | [[File:London north-south circulars.svg|300px]]<br/>The South Circular Road in Greater London, <br/>with the [[North Circular Road]] and [[Woolwich Ferry]].{{hr}}
 | Show static diagram map
 | {{maplink-road|from=South Circular Road (London).map}}<br/>{{legend-line|#00CC00 solid 3px|A205 road|inline=yes}} {{legend-line|#005500 solid 2px|A2204 road to [[Woolwich Ferry]]|inline=yes}}
 | Show interactive map
}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=
|image_alt=Two-lane road passing through residential neighbourhood
|length_mi= 20.5
|length_ref=<ref name=map/>
|direction_a= East
|terminus_a = [[Woolwich]]
|direction_b= West
|terminus_b = [[South Ealing]]
|junction   = {{ubl|[[File:uk roadsign ferry.svg|50px|absmiddle|alt=Ferry road sign]]&nbsp;[[Woolwich Ferry]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|2|name1=Rochester Way Relief Road }}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|20|name1=Sidcup Road}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|21|name1=Bromley Road}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|23|name1=[[Streatham Hill]]}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|24|name1=Balham Hill}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|3|name1=[[West Hill, Wandsworth|West Hill]]}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|316|name1=Lower Richmond Road }}
|{{jct|country=GBR|M|4|dab1=Great Britain}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|4|name1=Great West Road}}
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|406|name1=North Circular Road}}
}}
|destinations= 
}}

The '''South Circular Road''' (formally the '''A205''' and often simply called the '''South Circular''') in [[south London]], England, is a major road that runs from the [[Woolwich Ferry]] in the east to the [[Chiswick]] Flyover in the west via [[Eltham]], [[Lee Green]], [[Catford]], [[Forest Hill, London|Forest Hill]], [[Dulwich]], [[Tulse Hill]], [[Streatham Hill]], [[Clapham Common]], [[Clapham Junction (area)|Clapham Junction]], [[Wandsworth]], [[Putney]], [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], [[Mortlake]] and [[Kew Bridge]]. Together with the [[North Circular Road, London|North Circular Road]] and Woolwich Ferry, it makes a complete ring-road around [[Central London]] and is a former boundary of the [[Ultra Low Emission Zone]]. The South Circular is largely a sequence of urban streets joined together, requiring several [[At-grade intersection|at-grade turns]], unlike the mostly purpose-made carriageways of the North Circular. As a result, it is frequently congested.

Originally planned as a new-build route across South London, construction of the first section of the South Circular near [[Eltham]] began in 1921 to a high-quality specification. The remainder of the road was supposed to be of a similar standard but it was repeatedly delayed, and the current route was allocated in the late 1930s to existing urban streets instead. Despite several proposals to either upgrade the road or replace it with a parallel motorway, there has been little change since the route was first planned and most of the road is still urban streets.

==Route==
[[File:South Circular Road - geograph.org.uk - 51142.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Brownhill Road in [[Catford]]]]
The South Circular is {{convert|20.5|miles}} long. The majority of the road is [[single carriageway]], one lane each way, aside from a small section of [[dual carriageway]] near the [[Woolwich Ferry]]. It is a primary road for its entire length.<ref name=map/> The route runs closer to central London compared to the more distant North Circular.

===Woolwich–Clapham===
The South Circular Road starts just south of the ferry terminal where the [[A2204 road|A2204]] Ferry Approach meets the main east–west road through Woolwich, the [[A206 road|A206]].<ref name=map>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.4934176,0.0614225/51.4913059,-0.2828181/@51.4979888,-0.2496013,11z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-0.2679191!2d51.464422!3s0x48760e8fa8b56097:0x5213791de7158e40!1m0!3e0|title=A205|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> It heads south, climbing up John Wilson Street, a section of dual carriageway, until it meets Grand Depot Road and becomes single carriageway through [[Woolwich Common]] and Academy Road past the former [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]]. The route continues south to the [[A2 road (Great Britain)|A2]] at a [[grade separation|grade separated]] junction—one of only two on the route—and continues southwesterly as a dual carriageway, crossing Eltham Road ([[A210 road|A210]]) and Sidcup Road ([[A20 road (England)|A20]]). At the junction with Burnt Ash Hill the road becomes urban single carriageway again, which it remains the case for most of the remainder of the route.<ref name=map/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20081023140405tf_/http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2002/rrrde/roadsreviewwhatrolefortrunkr1943?page=14|title=Roads Review – what role for trunk roads in England?|work=Department for Transport|date=23 October 2008|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>

The first section of the single carriageway is Saint Mildreds Road; then, shortly after passing under the railway line, it is Brownhill Road due west all the way to the [[Catford]] [[gyratory system]] which crosses the [[A21 road (England)|A21]] to follow Catford Road past the former [[Catford Stadium]], and a medley of suburban roads towards [[Forest Hill, London|Forest Hill]] and [[Horniman Museum]], Dulwich Common and [[Dulwich College]], [[Tulse Hill]] and [[Brixton Hill]] to [[Clapham Common]].<ref name=map/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=937|title=Horniman Museum and Gardens – History, Travel, and accommodation information|publisher=Britain Express|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref>

===Clapham–Kew===
[[File:Dusk on Kew Bridge - A205 (T) South Circular Road - geograph.org.uk - 677236.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kew Bridge]] is at the western end of the South Circular]]

Beyond the common, the South Circular merges with the [[A3 road|A3]] London to Portsmouth road for two miles, travelling along [[Wandsworth High Street]] and passing the old [[Young's Brewery#Ram Brewery|Ram Brewery]]. At [[West Hill, Wandsworth|West Hill]] the routes diverge, with the A205 going north-west along Upper Richmond Road, past [[Putney Leisure Centre]] and the south end of [[Barnes Common]] and the home ground of [[Rosslyn Park F.C.]], then along Upper Richmond Road West, before turning north at [[East Sheen]] onto Clifford Avenue.<ref name=map/>

The road then crosses the [[A316 road|A316]] Great Chertsey Road, passing the [[National Archives (UK)|National Archives]], [[Kew Green]], and over [[Kew Bridge]]. It ends at the [[Chiswick Roundabout]], which is the junction for the M4 and the A406 [[North Circular Road, London|North Circular Road]].<ref name=map/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1982-06-24a.508.0&s=speaker%3A18980|title=Orders of the Day – Heavy Lorries|first=Anthony|last=Royle|work=Hansard|date=24 June 1982|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>
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==History==
===Early plans===
[[File:A205 South Circular Road, Westhorne Avenue (geograph 3453873).jpg|thumb|A short part of the South Circular Road is a relatively fast dual carriageway road. Early 20th century plans called for the entire route to be this standard.]]

The South Circular Road was planned by the Ministry of Transport in the early 20th century as part of a general programme of traffic improvements across London.{{sfn|Hart|1976|p=74}} In 1903, a proposal for new approach roads was submitted to the [[Royal Commission on London Traffic]], but was rejected. The Road Board was formed in 1910 to address traffic issues, which led to the London Arterial Road Conferences in 1913–14 that revived the earlier plans. Progress was halted because of the war, but resumed in 1920, when it was hoped it would find work for demobilised soldiers.<ref name=jeffreys>{{cite news|first=Rees|last=Jeffreys|title=New Arterial Roads|newspaper=The Times|date=5 April 1927|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS788733061&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref>

The first section near [[Woolwich]] was under construction by 1921, as it ran on open land that was easy to purchase, but plans for the remainder of the route had not yet been decided and there were delays due to [[compulsory purchase|compulsory purchasing]] of properties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1921/jun/06/road-construction#S5CV0142P0_19210606_HOC_42|title=Road Construction|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=6 June 1921|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1924/jul/01/by-pass-roads-eltham-to-welling#S5CV0175P0_19240701_HOC_220|title=By-Pass Roads (Eltham to Welling)|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=1 July 1924|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> In 1925, ''The Times'' announced a replacement bridge for the [[Woolwich Ferry]] was planned as part of the South Circular project to tie in with the East Ham and Barking Bypass (now the [[A13 road (England)|A13]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=New London Bridges|work=The Times|date=23 January 1925|page=13|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS218568759&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> A significant amount of new housing had been built along the route of the South Circular since the original 1903 plans, and building costs had risen because of labour and because of further demolition required.<ref name=jeffreys/> In 1927, the Governors of [[Dulwich College]] formally objected to the road as it would put the Memorial Library right next to a main road and remove part of the college green.<ref>{{cite news|title=South Circular Road|newspaper=The Times|date=24 October 1927|page=9|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS152378712&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref>

A short section from Well Hall Road to Eltham Road had been completed by 1930, aside from a bridge underneath the Hither Green – Dartford railway, and the road had been built as far west as Burnt Ash Hill by the middle of the decade.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1930/dec/03/south-circular-road-woolwich#S5CV0245P0_19301203_CWA_37|title=South Circular Road, Woolwich|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=3 December 1930|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1933/dec/06/south-circular-road#S5CV0283P0_19331206_CWA2_12|title=South Circular Road|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=6 December 1933|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> [[Charles Bressey|Sir Charles Bressey]]'s ''Highway Development Survey'' (also known as the Bressey Report), published in 1937, showed a {{convert|15|mi|km|adj=on}}-long South Circular that would have a new-build section near [[Wandsworth Bridge]] (then being rebuilt) but otherwise be a series of online improvements to existing roads.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1938/jul/20/bressey-report#S5CV0338P0_19380720_CWA_60|title=Bressey Report|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=20 July 1938|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref>

===Abercrombie redevelopment===
Sir [[Patrick Abercrombie]] was frustrated by the lack of progress, and in 1933 said "There is not a single complete Ring Road in the County or Region of London".{{sfn|Hart|1976|p=75}} Plans for an improved South Circular were revisited as part of Abercrombie's [[County of London Plan]] of 1943, as the southern half of one of several [[beltway|ring roads]] around the capital.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/16th-july-1943/6/london-of-tomorrow|title=London of Tomorrow|first=Charles|last=Bressey|journal=The Spectator|date=16 July 1943|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> Abercrombie designated it as the "C Ring" (the third ring out from the city centre); however, the high-quality road was never built and the semi-circular route was assigned to existing roads through the southern suburbs;{{sfn|Hart|1976|p=75}} these roads retain their historic names. The current recognised route of the South Circular was created by local motoring organisations putting up strategically placed signposts to direct traffic. [[Richard Sharples|Sir Richard Sharples]], then MP for [[Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton and Cheam]], felt this was inadequate and complained that "I do not think that the South Circular Road could be said to exist at all."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1955/apr/07/roads-london-development-plan#S5CV0539P0_19550407_HOC_122|title=Roads, London (Development Plan)|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=7 April 1955|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref>

===Ringway 2===
In the 1960s, Abercrombie's plans were revived by the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC) as the [[London Ringways]] Plan which proposed the construction of a series of motorways in and around London to control traffic congestion. The existing South Circular route was recognised as being unsuitable for upgrading and a new motorway, [[London Ringways#Ringway 2|Ringway 2]], was planned for construction further south.<ref name=ringways/>

Because of the destruction required and cost involved in the proposed plans the majority of the Ringway Plans had stagnated by 1973. However, local [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs), including [[Toby Jessel]], MP for [[Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Twickenham]], complained the project should not be cancelled, as the existing South Circular was completely unacceptable to traffic.<ref name=ringways>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1973/mar/20/london-motorway-box|title=London Motorway Box|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=20 March 1973|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> The plans were scrapped after Labour won the [[1973 Greater London Council election|GLC election]] that year.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Young|title=Crosland statement may end road doubts|newspaper=The Times|date=5 July 1975|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS35618021&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref>

===Later plans===
In 1985, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposed a £300m partial replacement for the South Circular that would have seen a dual-carriageway built over existing suburban railway lines between {{rws|Barnes}} and [[Wandsworth Bridge]], and {{rws|Wandsworth Common}} to {{rws|Nine Elms}}.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Baily|title=£300m plan to build trunk road over railways|newspaper=The Times|date=23 March 1985|page=2|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS34967671&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref> The Government announced a large-scale upgrade of the South Circular in the 1989 [[white paper]] [[Roads for Prosperity]], but it was cancelled the following year after a petition signed by 3,500 local residents. In addition to the proposed property demolition around Tulse Hill, the petition complained that the road's course conveniently avoided a house belonging to then-Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] half a mile away.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Dynes|title=London roads plan 'scrapped'|newspaper=The Times|date=27 March 1990|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=IF500287190&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/feb/28/south-circular-road|title=South Circular Road|first=John|last=Fraster|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=28 February 1990|access-date=9 January 2017}}</ref>

==Traffic==
[[File:Catford Road, Catford - geograph.org.uk - 228723.jpg|thumb|The South Circular Road near [[Catford]] suffers from regular traffic congestion, despite being a [[red route]].]]

The South Circular Road has long been the target of criticism over its poor capacity and lack of improvement schemes. MPs have dismissed the road as "a collection of signposts"<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qfak8nsMNGIC&pg=PA5|title=New Roads add to Congestion|journal=New Scientist|page=5|date=25 December 1986|access-date=18 August 2015}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and "not so much a coherent through route".{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=851}} In 1969, the chairman of the [[Greater London Council]] planning and transportation committee called the South Circular "a joke".<ref>{{cite news|title=South circular road 'a joke'|newspaper=The Times|date=6 February 1969|page=4|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS68120646&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref> Two years later, Jessel reported it could take over an hour to travel the route end to end, a little over 20 miles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/dec/15/motorways-london#S5CV0828P0_19711215_HOC_552|title=Motorways, London|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=15 December 1971|access-date=27 August 2015}}</ref>

The whole of the South Circular is a [[red route]], allocated to roads that together make up over 30% of traffic in London. This prohibits any stopping or loading.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes/rules-of-red-routes?intcmp=2192|title=Rules of Red Routes|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=9 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/red-route-pan-london-lohac-map.pdf|title=Pan London Red Routes|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=9 January 2017|archive-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329100204/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/red-route-pan-london-lohac-map.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some sections of the road through the [[Lewisham (London Borough)|borough of Lewisham]] have extensive [[bus lane]]s. Their appearance is controversial; a 2006 resident survey produced mixed results, with people believing there were either too many or not enough.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/mayorandcouncil/overview-scrutiny/Documents/ReportoftheEnvironmentSelectCommitteesSouthCircularInvestigationMarch2006draft.pdf|title=Report of the Environment Select Committee's South Circular Investigation|publisher=Lewisham London Borough Council|date=March 2006|access-date=9 January 2017|page=5}}</ref>

In 1988, a single road closure (resulting from a gas leak on a side road in Wandsworth) caused severe congestion along the entire South Circular. A representative from Scotland Yard's Central Communications complex said the inadequate design of the road was indicative of several single points of failure in the London road network.<ref>{{cite news|title=Traffic nightmare returns to haunt London|newspaper=The Times|date=6 December 1988|access-date=16 September 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=IF500541086&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref>

The South Circular has been criticised for its poor air quality and pollution. This affects drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, all of which regularly travel along the road.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26036572|title=Are these the worst ring roads in England?|first=Jenny|last=Scott|work=BBC News|date=5 April 2014|access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> A 2007 report in the ''Daily Telegraph'' said it was the eighth worst road in Britain.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1566941/M25-voted-worst-road-in-Britain.html|title=M25 Voted Worst Road in Britain|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=22 October 2007|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> In December 2020, pollution from the South Circular was ruled to be a factor in the death of 9 year old [[Rosamund Kissi-Debrah|Ella Roberta Kissi-Debrah]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 December 2020|title=Air pollution contributed to death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, landmark ruling finds|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ella-kissi-debrah-inquest-result-pollution-b1774841.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ella-kissi-debrah-inquest-result-pollution-b1774841.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=16 December 2020|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>

==ULEZ==
On 25 October 2021, the South Circular became the boundary of the London [[Ultra Low Emission Zone]] (ULEZ), although it is not included in it. Vehicles travelling inside the zone and not meeting key exhaust emission standards will need to pay a daily charge of £12.50 for cars, vans and motorcycles, and £100 for coaches, HGVs and buses.<ref name=fleetnewsnov2017>{{cite web|url=https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2017/11/03/london-mayor-confirms-ultra-low-emission-zone-will-start-in-2019|title=London Mayor confirms Ultra-Low Emission Zone will start in 2019|website=www.fleetnews.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47814416 |title=ULEZ: The politics of London's air pollution|work=BBC News|date=19 October 2021|access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> The zone expanded beyond this to cover the whole of Greater London on 29 August 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ulez-expansion-2023|title=ULEZ Expansion 2023|work=Transport for London|accessdate=12 May 2023}}</ref>

==Future==
A task force was set up in July 2013 by the Mayor of London [[Boris Johnson]] to look at improvements to the London road network, including the South Circular and [[North Circular Road, London|North Circular]]. The plans included putting the road in a series of tunnels.  This would free up space on the surface, providing public space and extensive cycle routes and improving the linkage of existing communities currently severed by the busy road. [[Caroline Pidgeon]], deputy chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, responded, "It doesn't make sense and it won't add up – [there's a] £30bn estimate, but I'm sure it'll cost at least double that, and the reality is we'll lose homes around these roads and so on."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23250521|title=London roads £30bn plan unveiled|date=10 July 2013|work=BBC News}}</ref>

As part of the [[London Superloop|Superloop]] network, [[Transport for London]] plan to run an express bus route along the South Circular, extending from [[Clapham Junction railway station]] to [[Eltham railway station]], and using the A205 between [[Clapham Common]] and [[Well Hall]]. A consultation opened in October 2025 with the intention that buses start operating in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 October 2025|title=SL15 - proposed express bus service between Clapham Junction and Eltham|url=https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/sl15-superloop|access-date=22 October 2025|publisher=Transport for London|location=London|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[A roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=Strategic Planning in London: The Rise and Fall of the Primary Road Network|first=Douglas|last=Hart|publisher=Elsevier|year=1976|isbn=978-1-483-15548-7}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last1=Weinreb|first1=Ben|last2=Hibbert|first2=Christopher|last3=Keay|first3=Julia|last4=Keay|first4=John|title=The London Encyclopedia|publisher=Pan MacMillan|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4050-4924-5}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A205 A205 on SABRE]

{{Roads in London}}
{{UK primary routes 2}}

{{Coord|51.4405|-0.1098|type:landmark_region:GB-LBH|display=title}} <!-- Approximate Midpoint -->

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Circular Road}}
[[Category:Eltham]]
[[Category:Lee, London]]
[[Category:Grove Park, Lewisham]]
[[Category:Hither Green]]
[[Category:Catford]]
[[Category:Dulwich]]
[[Category:East Sheen]]
[[Category:Kew, London]]
[[Category:Putney]]
[[Category:Ring roads in London]]
[[Category:Roads in London]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Lewisham]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Wandsworth]]
[[Category:Streets in the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Woolwich]]