Princess Road Manchester’s main southern highway
It’s named after a princess but most Mancunians wouldn’t have a clue who she is. It’s designated the A5103, a number that suggests an insignificant side road, yet it’s an impressive dual carriageway. It was planned in the 20s but didn’t achieve its full extent till the 70s. It’s Princess Rd, Princess Parkway and the northernmost section of the M56, together forming Manchester’s main southern highway
Princess Rd runs directly south out of Manchester city centre, seemingly a natural route that was always there. But it only appeared in the 20th century. It’s not an ancient route like the A6 to the south east, or the A56 to the south west.
The route was planned in the 1920s, opening up Manchester’s new southern suburbs built on flat open land to the south. But at its northern end, for most of the early to mid-20th century it ended in the maze or narrow cobbled streets that was the old Hulme.
Then Hulme was cleared in the 60s and the dual carriageway was extended north as far the Mancunian Way.
At the southern end, Princess Road, becoming Princess Parkway south of the Mersey, ran as far as the A560 roundabout at Wythenshawe. Only when the M56 was built in the 70s did the A5103 assume its full role as Manchester’s main southern highway, linking the city with the motorway network and routes to the south.
Let’s take a quick drive down Princess Rd from the Mancunian Way roundabout.
As we head south, the road dips down, and we pass under the Hulme Arch, a bridge opened in 1997 and a symbol of the new Hulme. It carries the reinstated Stretford Rd across Princess Rd.
The highway curves round rises again. We pass through the traffic lights near Asda, with the brewery on the left, and on through Moss Lane traffic lights. On the left are the original 19th century shop buildings. On the right is an open grassy space with houses beyond.
The street lamps have banners used to promote local events.
A few hundred yards south and on the left is Princess Rd garage, formerly a tram depot, now used by Stagecoach buses. On the right is Alexandra Park.
A row of late 19th century houses on the left cedes to inter-war semis which dominate the east side of Princess Rd the whole way down. We head directly south. William Hulme’s grammar school and playing fields are on the right.
Then it’s Moseley Rd traffic lights and the carriageway rises to pass over the first of two bridges over disused railway, the first over the South Manchester Loop Line, now used as a footpath. Next it’s Mauldeth Rd traffic lights.
Mauldeth Rd extends off to the right as a wide dual carriageway. It was originally intended to provide an additional crossing over the Mersey, linking up with Sale, but the extension and bridge were never built.
Princess Rd curves gently to the right, with the vast expanse of Hough End playing fields on the right, and more inter-war semis on the left. Again the road gently rises to cross the disused former London Midland railway line.
It’s such a waste to have bridges over empty railway lines. The bridges still need to be be maintained, at considerable expense, and yet nothing ever passes underneath, except foxes and other animals. That’s set to change as this line may eventually be used by Metrolink trams, though not for some time yet. In my opinion it should have been kept in use as a railway line.
Princess Rd now descends an incline and gains an extra lane. New apartments are on the left, and on the right, Southern Cemetery. Past Nell Lane, the modernist Siemens Building is on the left and we are at Barlow Moor Rd, former terminus of the trams, which were withdrawn in 1949.
Princess Rd heads south towards the Mersey. The extra lane leads to a slip road to the M60, former M63, first built in the 1970s. There’s a corresponding one on the other side. Here a big motorway instersection occupies a large area just south of the Mersey with wide slip roads and bridges. This is one of a number of restricted access junctions on the M60. You can only drive onto the M60 heading east towards Stockport.
The original dual carriageway crosses the Mersey on a bridge with an ornate balustrade which is still there. Two newer bridges have been added on either side to carry the motorway slip roads.
Drivers coming north from the M56 should note that along this section there’s a 40 mph speed limit.
South of the Mersey we have left Lancashire* and have entered Cheshire*.
Now the speed limit rises from 40 to 50 miles per hour and the road is now four lanes in both directions. The carriageway rises for the Palatine Rd Northern Rd intersection and it’s now just a short distance to the A560 junction and the beginning of the M56 motorway.
Wythenshawe Park is on the right, trees are on the left concealing more houses.
At the A560 roundabout, the M56 begins, leading to Wythenshawe, the airport and the A538 to Hale and Wilmslow. Roughly 2 miles south, the M56 bridge over the river Bollin marks the end of both the City of Manchester and the Greater Manchester subregion.
The M56 is the first leg of the long trip to London, but a few miles further down, you have to leave it and go back onto an A road - the A556 - to get to the M6, one of many anomalies in the local road system.
The A5103 and M56 through south Manchester: another road that came about haphazardly, begun in the 20s, and only completed in the 70s.
But it’s an impressive highway, used by thousands of drivers, cyclists and a few pedestrians every day. Beware of traffic jams at rush hour in both directions, especially around the M60 (former M63) interchange.
And finally some questions I’m not sure about:
Which Princess was Princess Road named after?
Why did they call it Princess Parkway south of the Mersey?
To what extent were the British road planners influenced by road construction in the United States with their parkways, thruways and beltways?
*Lancashire and Cheshire are referred to in their original boundaries, since 1974 ignored and unrecognised by official bodies.