This 'B' road was once the Roman Ermin Street (not to be confused with Ermine Street in East Anglia). This one used to link Silchester with Gloucester and its route provides the basis for this typically straight stretch. However, modern road works (e.g. M4) have disrupted the original.
Uploaded to Geograph by Stuart Logan on 24 July 2012
Photo © Stuart Logan, 24 July 2012. Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons licence