Great North Road book

Great Subject

We moved from my native Lanarkshire to a small village about 2 miles from Buckden rounabout near Huntingdon in 1969 and lived there for 6 years.

I always remember going down and watching the lorries on the A1 with my dad on summers night or sunday afternoon.

Of course we also went up the Great North road many times back home or on days out etc, and i was always eyes fixed looking to see what was about.

As I said earlier Great Subject

If anyone posts a pic of that area around that time, I would love to see it,

God I wish we had digital cameras then !

There is a great film on you tube “the great north road 1939” sorry can’t do links

kip:
There is a great film on you tube “the great north road 1939” sorry can’t do links

There you go. Funnily enough I watched that just last weekend. I like the way they just parked at the side of the road regardless when ever they wanted to shoot some film, I don’t think you would get away with that these days.

When that film was shot You Tube was just an insult. :stuck_out_tongue:

Coffeeholic:

kip:
There is a great film on you tube “the great north road 1939” sorry can’t do links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYmFxoLb4OM

There you go. Funnily enough I watched that just last weekend. I like the way they just parked at the side of the road regardless when ever they wanted to shoot some film, I don’t think you would get away with that these days.

When that film was shot You Tube was just an insult. :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks for that, “You Tube was an insult” V.Good

axletramp:
Thanks for pointing out the 1766 stretch, I’m always interested in how the roads developed.

For the benefit of those who would like to see what Bramham Crossroads (junction of A1 and A64)
looked like in 1912 here is a picture I found on the Leodis site. The viewpoint is looking north across
what was to become the A1/A64. The buildings on the right are still there, and the modern road is
fairly well to the left off scene. The old road as seen here is in use as a farm access road.

I hope you don’t mind me posting it Lonewolf but it was a good excuse for uploading my first pic.

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Great pic looks very peacefull

Wel living where I do & have a lot of my life which is near the A1 ( North East ) have driven it many times but also been driven by my dad as a kid going through Gosforth High Street with the traffic lights ( that is still very much the same ) or going through Felton at the bottom that “nice little bend” the up the hill at the other side

The single track all the way from Newcastle then Washington via Morpeth to Seahouses

Also riding the bikes up into Northumberland on the A1 & a flat bed overtaking me & came in a bit soon ( I nearly went under his back wheel if hadnt moved into side of road pos would have been under it )

Sorry dont have any pics but can probably take some of Gosforth High Street as it not really changed

axletramp:
Thanks for pointing out the 1766 stretch, I’m always interested in how the roads developed.

For the benefit of those who would like to see what Bramham Crossroads (junction of A1 and A64)
looked like in 1912 here is a picture I found on the Leodis site. The viewpoint is looking north across
what was to become the A1/A64. The buildings on the right are still there, and the modern road is
fairly well to the left off scene. The old road as seen here is in use as a farm access road.

I hope you don’t mind me posting it Lonewolf but it was a good excuse for uploading my first pic.

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A couple of miles north on the A1 on the south side of Bramham is where i grew up. think we moved there in 1953 when i was five, the A1 was a single carriageway going through the village. Our house was as close to it as this one in the picture and in our pre-telly days would spend hours sitting on the garden wall watching all the traffic follow a lorry grinding it’s way up the little hill comeing out of the village.
I actually lived in a house at Bowcliffe Hall which was owned by the Blackburn the aircraft builder the sold to Hargreaves the coal firm. The Bramham by-pass went in between us and the village which meant a quick sprint across the dual-carriageway which kept us fit :laughing:

Charles

Great anecdote Charles thats the kind of thing I’m after.

Or the A1 coming back home past the Boot & Shoe a lot of drivers stopped in there on a fri night then up to Quenni for brekki on a sat morn

1947-50 we lived in the school house at Ferrybridge .The school buildings are still there,now small industrial units on the left hand side as you drive Northbound after the services slip.The road used the old bridge,many an accident involving south bound traffic coming down from Brotherton and overshooting the corner.We used to cycle to Wentbridge to swim in the river,and enjoy first puff of Players or Woodbines under the bridge or to Wetherby,more swimming.On the left between Ferrybridge and Wentbridge were giant hangars where aero engines were tested.
Ian Allan published BRS spotter books with the depot codes,the schoolyard was an ideal spotters place and really started my interest in road haulage.
We had a car(grandfathers Jowett8) and each year would drive to St Andrews to visit Mother’s family.What an adventure,A1 all way to Edinburgh(and Thurso!!!) through all towns and villages,Wide Open andv Pity Me stick in the mind.Leave plenty time to catch the ferry over the Forth!!!

Spot on that, thanks Phil. Have had a couple of interesting emails too thanks all.

The Great North Road through Doncaster follows roughly the ‘Roman Ridge’ route,you can see it on modern maps as Roman Road.Traveling north at the junction of the A1 /A639 Barnsdale Bar you can see part of the Ridge just before the turn off.The ridge then goes up through Pontefract to Castleford and then Aberford crossroads,I could be wrong but is it part of The lower reaches of Dere Street that runs up from Barton through Piercebridge onto The A68 and Corbridge. The forest of Barnsdale,you can see it on your right going north at Barnsdale Bar, was where Robin Hood hung out.The bridge in Wentbridge has a plaque to Little John fixed to it.

hi lads, great north road, they was 24 transport cafe’s on the A1 between Newcastle and doncaster, traffic lights where at catterick and dishforth airfields, bumper

Remember that roundabout at Wetherby as well on the old A1

mick palmer:
The Great North Road through Doncaster follows roughly the ‘Roman Ridge’ route,you can see it on modern maps as Roman Road.Traveling north at the junction of the A1 /A639 Barnsdale Bar you can see part of the Ridge just before the turn off.The ridge then goes up through Pontefract to Castleford and then Aberford crossroads,I could be wrong but is it part of The lower reaches of Dere Street that runs up from Barton through Piercebridge onto The A68 and Corbridge. The forest of Barnsdale,you can see it on your right going north at Barnsdale Bar, was where Robin Hood hung out.The bridge in Wentbridge has a plaque to Little John fixed to it.

There was a lay-by off the southbound carriageway of the A1 called Robin Hood’s Well,north of the Haven Cafe.I have been known to have dodgy nights out on there. :smiley:

That layby used to be the road at one time. Care to elaborate Chris?

Aye up Chris,are those ‘dodgy’ nights out the same as a ‘fiddle’ or knowing the area as I do is it something to do with the local ladies ?

Chris, Was that a typo? was it dodgy or doggy nights :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Chris Webb:

mick palmer:
The Great North Road through Doncaster follows roughly the ‘Roman Ridge’ route,you can see it on modern maps as Roman Road.Traveling north at the junction of the A1 /A639 Barnsdale Bar you can see part of the Ridge just before the turn off.The ridge then goes up through Pontefract to Castleford and then Aberford crossroads,I could be wrong but is it part of The lower reaches of Dere Street that runs up from Barton through Piercebridge onto The A68 and Corbridge. The forest of Barnsdale,you can see it on your right going north at Barnsdale Bar, was where Robin Hood hung out.The bridge in Wentbridge has a plaque to Little John fixed to it.

There was a lay-by off the southbound carriageway of the A1 called Robin Hood’s Well,north of the Haven Cafe.I have been known to have dodgy nights out on there. :smiley:

Hello Chris, I think you mean the “Red House” layby. Now I was always under the impression that structure was something to do with ■■■■ Turpin. I stopped to check it out one day but found no inscription on it and was a little disappointed. Also I think there was a cafe and digs there called the “Red House” many years ago but I can’t remember it although I’ve been up and down the A1 since the late '60s. Come to think of it I may have given you a lift on one of your many dodgy nights. Had several of those myself from Norwich. Regards, Haddy.