Just out of interest I’m in New York at the moment and there is an expedition of photos from an English photographer named Paul Graham. It features a road trip he made in 81/82 from London up the A1
A1 The Great North Road Grey Editions, 1983 by Paul Graham. From £400 to £3,450. Check it out on Google.
Will definitely be buying the Lonewolf one.
Look on paulgrahamarchives.com there are a few on there
I have seen the Paul Graham book, I got the library to find me a copy. Why it is so expensive I do not know.
There was another book of photos of the A1 by a bloke called Jon Nicholson. Both of the books suffer from the same problem, the photos are artistically good but very few of them have anything to do with the A1 or Great North Road except having been taken within a mile of it.
In fact the Nicholson book is directly responsible for my book because I heard about it on the radio and bought it. I was disappointed about the lack of photos of the road and was heard to say ‘I could do better than that’. The rest as they say is history.
Hi Chris, bought the book from Nynehead books Sunday, arrived this morning Wed. Well researched and very informative with a good supply of pictures and maps.
I started my life in road transport as a trailer mate aged 17/18 (1960) working for Hanson Haulage, Huddersfield. (promoted and had my own Wagon and drag three months before my 21’st birthday but don’t tell anyone.) We ran a fleet of eight wheeler AEC and four wheel drags, plus about 6 or 7 "Cannonball artic vans down from Huddersfield every night, returning the night after, with a second fleet alternating for a nightly service, with a guaranteed 6pm/9am special delivery service on offer. The route was Huddersfield to A1 north of Doncaster, pot of tea at Carlsen (?) (Memory) café, then down through Doncaster centre and follow A1 to Kates Cabin for supper. Next leg Down A1 to Jacks Hill Café then final leg into City Road, Hanson depot. Many happy memories and pleased to see Cafe’s pictured and remembered in your book.
A good read for anyone with memories of this road, and it brings home to you how boring life has become now Trucks are on the Motorways. No wonder so many drivers fall asleep. John.
The Yorkshireman:
0Hi Chris, bought the book from Nynehead books Sunday, arrived this morning Wed. Well researched and very informative with a good supply of pictures and maps.
I started my life in road transport as a trailer mate aged 17/18 (1960) working for Hanson Haulage, Huddersfield. (promoted and had my own Wagon and drag three months before my 21’st birthday but don’t tell anyone.) We ran a fleet of eight wheeler AEC and four wheel drags, plus about 6 or 7 "Cannonball artic vans down from Huddersfield every night, returning the night after, with a second fleet alternating for a nightly service, with a guaranteed 6pm/9am special delivery service on offer. The route was Huddersfield to A1 north of Doncaster, pot of tea at Carlsen (?) (Memory) café, then down through Doncaster centre and follow A1 to Kates Cabin for supper. Next leg Down A1 to Jacks Hill Café then final leg into City Road, Hanson depot. Many happy memories and pleased to see Cafe’s pictured and remembered in your book.
A good read for anyone with memories of this road, and it brings home to you how boring life has become now Trucks are on the Motorways. No wonder so many drivers fall asleep. John.
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thers alot in what you say…i think driving now has become very tedious.oversized engines,automatic gearbox’s…you sit there alday with nothink to do.plus you get these spotty faced office jockey’s poking there big noses into somthink they know nothink about,only what they have learned or read in a book
Well said Curnock, Regards Larry.
Can anyone remember the old Carlsen Café on the old A1 just below where the start of the northern end of the Doncaster bypass / Wakefield road junction is ? I remember it as being a few hundred yards south of the Red House Inn mentioned in Chris’s book. Last time I went past there it looks to have become a print workshop, (Google Earth confirms this) but in the early sixties I remember it as quite a busy Transport Café. Can anyone else remember it ? it used to be our first stop off when coming from Huddersfield to London, before we transferred to Morleys at Markham Moor.
The Yorkshireman:
Can anyone remember the old Carlsen Café on the old A1 just below where the start of the northern end of the Doncaster bypass / Wakefield road junction is ? I remember it as being a few hundred yards south of the Red House Inn mentioned in Chris’s book. Last time I went past there it looks to have become a print workshop, (Google Earth confirms this) but in the early sixties I remember it as quite a busy Transport Café. Can anyone else remember it ? it used to be our first stop off when coming from Huddersfield to London, before we transferred to Morleys at Markham Moor.
Yes I can remember The Carlson It had a dodgey entrance down two steps, The grub was average IMO, but the tea was that thick the spoon could stand up in it, It burnt down at one time, The I think it might have been some sort of Club, Happy long gone days Regards Larry.
Just had an EM From Nynehead My book is on its way, In looking forward to going down memory lane, Regards Larry.
Looks a good read. 
Available from Nynehead Books .
Mine arrived to-day, Looks very good at a glance, & well worth the money, Well done Wolfie, Regards Larry.
Mine also came today, but not looked at it as l am away to the truckers do .
But first impressions it very impressed, well done wolfie.
All the best crowbar.
Thanks for the confirmation Larry, the memory isn’t as reliable as it used to be.
The Doctor gave me some tablets to improve it but I’ve forgotten where I put them. John.
Mine came on Saturday and I looked at all the pictures which took an hour or so, and realy enjoyed seeing and in some cases remembering.
I will eventually read. I looked with particular interest at the Ram Jam Inn as this was were a school friend of mine was travelling with his family to go on holiday and had a terrible accident and his father, mother and sister were all killed with him being the only survivor. George and I had just left to go to different schools weeks before and I have never met him since, but it must have been a terribe experience. For us living up north in the Tyne Tees area, who heard of The One O Clock Show on Tyne Tees TV, his farther was Dennis Ringrow, Tyne Tees’ musical director (Dennis Ringrow Orchestra and Dennis Ringrow Quartet),
At the time the A1 was very bendy round the Ram Jam area, and an accident black spot. I also remember another bad bend nearby, that my dad used to point out as we went by, where television magician David Nixon’s car turned over and his wife was killed.
I would just like to congratulate Lonewolf on a superb book.It rearly is a fantastic read.Myself and my father spoke to you a few years ago at gaydon about it.My dad was rearly looking forward to it,but he sadly passed away last year from cancer.His name was John Perry.I know Chris Webb knew him from his time at MFS.
When he started driving in the fifties for ICL in Letchworth,he used to tell me years later that if they were going to Scotland it would 3 or 4 days to get there.Doncaster was a whole days run,normally parking up on the cattle market,then off to your digs.
I always told him he should have written a journal of his life on the road,but sadly he never did.once again thanks for a great book.
Jools Holland bought a copy 
fame at last
I’m also awaiting my copy and looking forward to it. In the meantime I had a look in my local Library the other day and found a book printed in 2004 of the same title, written by Frank Goddard. There are no photo’s or reference to what was found along the old route, the format is mainly pointing out what the modern traveller will find going from the start point of London to the destination of Edinburgh. However the nicely drawn maps on each page do include the old route, how it was diverted and some very good pen and ink drawings accompany the words. I’ve put a page sample below so you can see how the book is laid out.
I was looking for another book on the old road that told the complete history but couldn’t find it this time, it may be one of the books already mentioned. The road was initially the most direct route to use from the General Post Office in London to its opposite in Edinburgh, points where the A1 still starts and finishes, and also went by the name of the Post Road at some period. Wolfie might even mention this in his book. Well done Chris on getting this researched and printed, no easy task these days. Cheers Franky.
Great stuff Frank, Im sure you will enjoy reading Wolfies book when it arrives, Regards Larry.
I’m pretty sure the Goddard book is aimed at walkers rather than drivers