Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a road protest

Save our hill. The battle against Batheaston bypass in 1994 was a turning point in the fight against the government’s road building programme, and in the lives of many of the people who became involved in it Photograph: Adrian Arbib

On the top of Solsbury Hill. This local boy was overheard saying "save the hill, stop the road" into his radio handset. Under Margaret Thatcher, the government had decided to build a network of new motorways and trunk roads in order to realise her dream of universal driving Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Solsbury Hill was the first of the major 1990s anti-roads protests Photograph: Adrian Arbib

The treetop protesters aimed to stop work on the dual carriageway around Batheaston at a time when campaigns against roadbuilding projects were underway across the country over roadbuilding projects Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Security fenced off the site encasing the trees and its occupants Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Gerry in the trees at Whitecroft. Bottom right: Gerry on the communication platform. Gerry ran a solar powered phone in the days when the mobile was a relatively new invention and needed a suitcase accessory to run it Photograph: Adrian Arbib

A tree pixie at Whitecroft Woods during the evictions Photograph: Adrian Arbib

The tree village. Work started in March 1994 and the protests came to a head in May with a march by 1,200 people at Solsbury Hill Photograph: Adrian Arbib

A protest poster. By November 1995 the road was built, but because of protests more than 300 road schemes were axed Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Andy swinging from a tree in the watermeadows. In the background is the hill Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Protesters are evicted from trees Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Rob the dig chatting to security Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Reasonable force was used to move the protesters on Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Debbie disrupting a surveying post being put in Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Top left: Kal in the tree. Bottom left: John Pendragon at Kite festival on the hill; Right: “Our clothes got muddy our hair was unwashed and you couldn’t distinguish between people" Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Nick Pepper reading. "It was a source of constant surprse to those that came to the site that these begraggled people could read ... A huge amount of the time was spent hanging around waiting for things to happen," Arbib says Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Security meets Dylan Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Adrian Arbib's photographs document the clash between protesters armed with rope harnesses and mobile phones and private security guards Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Early morning mist. A protester lies exhausted having been up all night. After the first ground eviction at Whitecroft security fence were erected overnight Photograph: Adrian Arbib

Although the protesters failed in their attempt to stop the building of the A46 Batheaston-Swainswick bypass, they say their stance helped change long-term government transport policy Photograph: Adrian Arbib

The campaign will be highlighted in photographic exhibitions at the Walcot Chapel gallery and the central library in Bath. The pictures - by Adrian Arbib - are also in an 84-page book documenting the protest. Photograph: Adrian Arbib