A371 (road)

A371 (road)
Country	England
Route	371
Terminus a	Shepton Mallet
Terminus b	Wincanton
Counties	Somerset
Previous route	370
Next route	372

A371 (road) is an A-class road in Somerset linking Shepton Mallet to Wincanton via a sequence of market towns, villages and rural parishes. It provides an arterial connection between inland Somerset settlements and feeds into trunk and primary routes serving Bath, Bristol, Taunton and the southwest. The road traverses parts of the Mendip Hills, the Somerset Levels and the southern edge of the Blackmore Vale, interacting with historical, industrial and touristic sites.

Route

The route begins near Shepton Mallet where it meets the A37 and proceeds southeast through the Mendip landscape toward Ditcheat and Wincanton. On its alignment the road passes through or close to Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bruton, before reaching Wincanton and junctions with the A303 corridor. The A371 intersects regional routes including the A37, A39, A359 and A303, while providing access to local parishes such as Doulting, Pilton, Frome, and Alhampton. It crosses watercourses tied to the River Brue and connects to lanes leading into conservation and protected landscapes including the Mendip Hills AONB and the Somerset Levels NNR.

History

The corridor served by the road follows older medieval and drovers’ tracks linking market towns like Glastonbury and Wincanton; several stretches overlay Roman and post-Roman routes tied to settlements such as Wells Cathedral’s precincts and monastic lands of Glastonbury Abbey. During the 18th and 19th centuries turnpike trusts in Somerset upgraded segments to support coach traffic between Bath and the southwest ports, accelerating agricultural trade from manors around Bruton and Frome. Twentieth-century classification placed the corridor into the numbered A-road system, with the A371 absorbing sections of pre-existing local roads; subsequent wartime requisitioning and postwar reconstruction influenced resurfacing and bridgeworks near sites like Pilton Festivities grounds and former military depots. Later 20th- and early 21st-century developments responded to patterns of commuter flows to Yeovil and feeder traffic to the A303, while conservation designations around Glastonbury Tor and the Mendip Hills shaped alignment choices and bypass proposals.

Junctions and intersections

Key junctions include connections with the A37 at Shepton Mallet, the A39 near Wells and route intersections with the A359 approaching Glastonbury and Street. There are notable at-grade junctions serving market centres such as Bruton and access points to the A303 near Wincanton that manage long-distance east–west movements to London via the M5 motorway corridor. Smaller intersections provide links to parish lanes serving communities like Alford and East Pennard, and to institutional sites such as Millfield School and regional hospitals. Several junctions are sited adjacent to conservation areas and listed buildings, necessitating traffic-calming measures and signage consistent with planning constraints from Somerset Council and local parish councils.

Traffic and usage

The A371 carries a mix of local, commuter and freight traffic, including agricultural vehicles supplying markets in Frome and delivery flows to retail centres in Street. Peak flows correspond with school terms for institutions like Millfield School and seasonal tourism peaks for destinations such as Glastonbury Tor and the Glastonbury festival hinterland. Freight movements include light commercial traffic and occasional heavy goods vehicles accessing distribution points near Wincanton; long-distance east–west diversions use the route when incidents close the A303 or M5. Traffic composition and collision statistics have been monitored by Avon and Somerset Constabulary and highway authorities, informing speed limits around villages and the introduction of pedestrian crossings in town centres.

Road maintenance and improvements

Maintenance responsibility lies with Somerset Council and agencies managing trunk links; resurfacing, drainage works and verge management respond to winter weather impacts and winter flood events on the Somerset Levels. Improvement schemes have included surface rehabilitation, carriageway widening at pinch points, upgraded signage and junction realignments to improve sightlines near historic centres such as Bruton and Wells. Environmental mitigation for projects around the Mendip Hills AONB has required ecological surveys addressing species recorded by the Somerset Wildlife Trust and adherence to planning conditions imposed by county planners. Recent programmes have prioritized pothole repairs, winter grit provisioning and bridge inspections, with funding drawn from county budgets and regional allocations tied to rural connectivity initiatives.

Points of interest along the route

Along the corridor are several notable cultural and natural attractions: the medieval precinct and Wells Cathedral close to Wells; the ruins and myths of Glastonbury Abbey and the iconic Glastonbury Tor; the market town character of Bruton with its galleries and heritage properties; the Somerset rural landscapes of the Mendip Hills and peatland habitats on the Somerset Levels; and period architecture and manor houses in parishes like Ditcheat and Alhampton. Educational and sporting institutions such as Millfield School influence local traffic while commercial draws include outlet centres in Street and equestrian facilities near Wincanton Racecourse. The route also provides access to conservation sites managed by Somerset Wildlife Trust and to listed churches, inns and farmsteads documented by Historic England.

Category:Roads in Somerset