The Great North Road.
This is a collection of materials, photographs, recollections, and bits and pieces about The Great North Road. Start with the introduction, and then follow a north-to-south sequence of ‘chapters’. This is very much a work in progress, and the content gets progressively thinner as the route heads south. Scotland likewise is still in preparation.
Scotland: the coastal route.
Scotland: the Jedburgh and Coldstream routes.
The Middle Road to Scotland.
The Manchester to Glasgow Road.
Old Scotch Road.
Northumberland.
Tyneside.
County Durham.
North Riding of Yorkshire.
Leeming Lane.
Hambleton Street.
West Riding of Yorkshire.
Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire.
The East Midlands Droves.
Huntingdonshire to London.
Huntingdon & the Old North Road.
Cycling on the Great North Road.
Books of postcards.
Scotland, north of Perth.
Southern Scotland.
Northumberland.
Gateshead to Woodlands.
Doncaster.
Rossington to Newark.
Foston to Wansford.
Huntingdon to London.
Whole Route.
Manchester to Glasgow Road.
Miscellaneous.
Bibliography: accumulated book, map and article references from this research.
The Penny Magazine, 1833.
The Boy’s Own Paper, 1901.
The Boy's Own Paper, 1904.
The Sphere, March 1946: Dunlop Tyres advertisement.
Philip’s ‘Finger Post’ strip map, London to York. Probably circa 1910, this ‘concertina’ strip map is an absolute delight. It has broken-out detail for junctions in towns (plus a general route map, not reproduced) showing such landmarks as ‘workhouse’.
Pratts High Test Map of the Great North Road: A ‘give away’ from the 1930s, the original is 36” x 15”, and is photographed in two parts, then stitched together (2.3mb).
A letter dated 1909 from Stamford Town Council regarding ‘Police Speed Traps’ on the Great North Road.
An advertisement from Punch, 22 July 1964, ‘Explore the roads of Britain with Shell’, with a watercolour of Berwick Upon Tweed’s superb bridges.
Nooks & Corners of Yorkshire. Date unknown but .... 1920s? Thanks to Richard Fordham.
Wonderful Britain 1928. a well-illustrated article by Charles G Harper.
On the Great North Road with Orange Bros Coaches. Circa 1930.
The Picture Post, 5 November 1955. An article by Trevor Philpott, who explains just how dreadfully dangerous the road was then.
