Aylesbury Pike

A toll road in Massachusetts, named after the town of Aylesbury.

There is an Aylesbury Street on the outskirts of Arkham that branches off of River St. and proceeds west. [See Lovecraft's Map of Arkham.] This is presumably the beginning of the Aylesbury Pike. In north central Massachusetts, just beyond Dean's Corners, the Aylesbury Pike has a junction with a smaller road that runs to Dunwich and then rejoins the Aylesbury Pike further on. [HPL Dunwich (online text)]

In Derleth's stories, it is stated explicitly that the Aylesbury Pike "opens from River Street in Arkham, and proceeds in leisurely fashion west and northwest of the ancient, gambrel-roofed town toward the strange, lonely Dunwich country beyond Dean’s Corners." [AWD Lurker] Arkham was growing outward along the Aylesbury Pike. [AWD Attic]

Attractions on the Pike not far from Arkham include:

Billington's Wood. North of Arkham, the Pike runs through a region of rolling, forested hills known as Billington's Wood. Billington House is concealed in the woods, and a road runs from it to Aylesbury Pike. The Aylesbury Pike already existed at the time of Alijah Billington. [AWD Lurker]
The Tuttle House. [AWD Hastur]
Wilbur Akeley's house, in a pocket of hills off the Aylesbury Pike, which was inherited by Fred. [AWD Gable (online text)] This seems likely to have been in the Arkham area, since he was a cousin of Henry Wentworth Akeley and a visitor to the Miskatonic University Library.

Stephen Boyle told a visitor in Boston that he could pick up the Aylesbury Pike near Concord, or due west of Boston if bearing towards Worcester. [AWD Watchers] His directions are surprising because Arkham is somewhere in Essex County, northeast of Boston. A route directly from Arkham to north central Massachusetts would not pass as far south as Boston or Concord. Possibly the Aylesbury Pike follows a rather eccentric course, starting out west-northwest from Arkham, then veering to the southwest and passing to the west of Boston before changing direction again to the northwest toward Dunwich country. Alternately, Boyle may have been referring to some other road that passes west of Boston and near Concord, proceeding north or northwest until it connects with the actual Aylesbury Pike.

Stephen Boyle also specified that when you reach the junction just past Dean’s Corners, it is a left turn that puts you on the side road through Dunwich. [AWD Watchers] Brier-bordered stone walls line much of the side road from the Aylesbury Pike to Dunwich. [AWD Middle]

Abel Harrop's house was "in a remote valley seven miles off the Aylesbury Pike out of Arkham." Note that this means seven miles from the Aylesbury Pike, not seven miles from Arkham. The house is apparently closer to Aylesbury than Arkham, since Aylesbury is where Harrop did his grocery shopping. [AWD Whippoorwills]

It is not explicitly stated whether Aylesbury is east or west of Dean's Corners. We do know that Aylesbury is close to Dunwich. At a guess, Aylesbury is located still further west on the Aylesbury Pike, and is likely the point where the Pike terminates.

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