The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the lightly populated region of rural east Lancashire. The road includes a short section of trunk road - designated A56(T) - between the end of the M66 motorway near Ramsbottom and the M65 motorway west of Burnley. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... Chester is the county town of Cheshire in North West England. ... Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a palatine county in North West England. ... Map sources for Skipton at grid reference SD9851 Skipton is a town in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. ... Bolton Abbey North Yorkshire is a Shire county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. ... This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ... Manchester is a city in the North West of England. ... Lancashire is a county in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The M66 is a short motorway in England. ... Edward Allingtons sculpture Tilted Vase in the centre of Ramsbottom Map sources for Ramsbottom at grid reference SD790169 Ramsbottom is a town and district in Lancashire, England. ... The M65 motorway is a major road in England. ... Location within the British Isles Burnley is a market town in the east of Lancashire in north-west England with a population of around 74,000. ...

Route Description

The road begins close to Chester Cathedral in the centre of Chester and heads north-eastwards out of the city. Just outside the city, the A56 crosses Junction 12 of the M53 motorway, continuing in a north easterly direction. The road passes through the towns and villages of Mickle Trafford, Helsby and Frodsham whilst roughly paralleling the course of the south side of the M56 motorway. After leaving Frodsham, the A56 crosses the M56 at Junction 11 and passes the towns of Runcorn and Warrington, taking up a more easterly direction to again parallel the course of the north side of the motorway. Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral, mother church for the Diocese of Chester, north-west England. ... Chester is the county town of Cheshire in North West England. ... The M53 motorway is a major road in England, running from Wallasey on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool, along the Wirral peninsula past Birkenhead and Ellesmere Port to just east of Chester, upon which motorway regulations end and it seamlessly becomes the A55 road, which continues... Helsby is a village in the borough of Vale Royal in Cheshire in the North West of England. ... Frodsham from Frodsham Hill Map sources for Frodsham at grid reference SJ514780 Frodsham is a small market town in the county of Cheshire in North West England. ... The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is a major road in England. ... Frodsham from Frodsham Hill Map sources for Frodsham at grid reference SJ514780 Frodsham is a small market town in the county of Cheshire in North West England. ... The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is a major road in England. ... Location within the British Isles Arms of the former Runcorn Urban District Council Runcorn is an industrial town in the unitary authority of Halton, Cheshire, England on the southern banks of the River Mersey at the site of the rivers first bridge crossing. ... Location within the British Isles Warrington is the largest town and borough in the county of Cheshire, North West England. ...

The road crosses the M6 motorway halfway between Junctions 20 and 21, before passing through Lymm on its way to its junction with the A556 road at Bowdon. At Bowdon the A56 turns sharply northwards, passing Altrincham and Sale, crossing the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road at Junction 7 into Stretford. This article concerns the M6 motorway in England. ... Location within the British Isles Lymm (pronounced Lim) is a large village and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, in north west England. ... Bowdon is an area in south-west Greater Manchester in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, United Kingdom. ... Location within the British Isles Arms of Altrincham Borough Council Altrincham (pronounced Oltringum) is a town to the south of Manchester in the Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester. ... Location within the British Isles Sale is a town situated in the UK, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford and the ceremonial county of Greater Manchester. ... The M60 motorway is an orbital motorway which completely encircles Manchester. ... Location within the British Isles Stretford is a mainly working class town in Greater Manchester, UK. It is perhaps most famous for Manchester United Football Club, which calls one end of its Old Trafford ground the Stretford End. ...

The A56 continues north-eastwards into inner city Manchester, taking on the additional name of Deansgate, one of Manchester's main shopping streets. At the end of Deansgate, the A56 takes on the name of Victoria Street as it passes Manchester Victoria Railway Station. The Manchester Evening News Head Office on Deansgate. ... Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria railway station is the second of Manchesters mainline railway stations, now being much less important than Manchester Piccadilly station. ...

Turning sharply to the north-west, the A56 leaves Manchester and goes through Salford on its way to Prestwich where it again crosses the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road at Junction 17. Heading due north the road passes Whitefield and cuts through Bury before crossing the M66 motorway at Junction 1. The road follows the M66 up to its terminus at the unsigned Junction 1a. Some of the 1960s built high rise apartment blocks that have had recent multi-million Pound refurbishment Salford is a city in the northwest England, UK. It is part of the City of Salford - a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, historically part of the county of Lancashire. ... Prestwich is the most southerly town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. ... The M60 motorway is an orbital motorway which completely encircles Manchester. ... Location within the British Isles Whitefield is a town in Bury Metropolitan Borough in Greater Manchester, England. ... Location within the British Isles Bury is a town on the northern side of Greater Manchester in North West England, between Rochdale and Bolton and just west of the M66. ... The M66 is a short motorway in England. ...

Merging with the end of the motorway, the road becomes a trunk road and takes on the designation A56(T) to signify it as the preferred route for traffic leaving the M66. Again heading roughly due northwards the A56(T) passes Haslingden and Accrington before joining the M65 motorway at Junction 8, slightly to the west of Burnley. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Map sources for Haslingden at grid reference SD785231 Haslingden is a unique small town, in the early 20th century an independent borough, in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire and is now part of the Borough of Rossendale. ... Map sources for Accrington at grid reference SD7528 Arms of Accrington Borough Council Accrington, in the County of Lancashire, is a small former mill town in the industrial north-west of England. ... The M65 motorway is a major road in England. ... Location within the British Isles Burnley is a market town in the east of Lancashire in north-west England with a population of around 74,000. ...

After joining the M65, the A56 disappears from the maps, only to reappear some miles to the north-west as a short piece of road connecting the A682 to the A6068 close to M65 Junction 13. The A56 again disappears before starting again from a roundabout on the A6068 close to M65 Junction 14. A roundabout, rotary, or gyratory circus is a type of road junction (or traffic calming device) at which traffic streams circularly around a central island after first yielding to the circulating traffic. ...

Taking an easterly direction, the A56 cuts through Colne before turning sharply to the north. Now cutting through the more rural parts of east Lancashire the road passes Foulridge and Earby, finally reaching its termination point where it merges with the A59 road to the west of Skipton in North Yorkshire. Colne is a town (population approx 20,000), in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England, close to the Yorkshire border. ... Lancashire is a county in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Foulridge is a small village in Lancashire close to the border with West Yorkshire. ... Earby is a Lancashire town near Colne. ... The A59 is a major road, in the United Kingdom running from Liverpool in Merseyside to York in Yorkshire. ... Map sources for Skipton at grid reference SD9851 Skipton is a town in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. ... Bolton Abbey North Yorkshire is a Shire county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. ...