Euston Road in 2008
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Other name(s) | A501 road |
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Former name(s) | New Road |
Length | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) |
Coordinates | 51°31′39″N 0°07′53″W / 51.5275°N 0.131389°WCoordinates: 51°31′39″N 0°07′53″W / 51.5275°N 0.131389°W |
west end | Great Portland Street |
east end | London King's Cross railway station |
Construction | |
Inauguration | September 1756 |
Euston Road in Central London, England, runs from Marylebone Road to King's Cross. The road is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary.
The road was originally the central section of New Road from Paddington to Islington which opened in 1756 as London's first bypass providing a route along which to drive cattle to Smithfield Market avoiding central London. Traffic increased when major railway stations, including Euston, opened in the mid-19th century and led to the road's renaming in 1857. Euston Road was widened in the 1960s to cater for the increasing demands of motor traffic, and the Euston Tower was built around that time. The road contains several significant buildings including the Wellcome Library, the British Library and the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel.
The road starts as a continuation of the A501, a major road through Central London, at its junction with Marylebone Road and Great Portland Street. It meets the northern end of Tottenham Court Road at a large junction where there is an underpass, and ends at King's Cross with Gray's Inn Road. The road ahead to Islington is Pentonville Road.