The Great Holyhead Road (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

The A5 is one of Britain's most historic roads, linking London to Holyhead. Its origins date back to the Roman period, when it formed part of a strategic route known as Iter II, connecting Londinium to the important military base at Segontium, near modern Caernarfon. After the Roman withdrawal, the road fell into decline, but its importance revived in the 18th and early 19th centuries. A major transformation came under the direction of the engineer Thomas Telford, who was commissioned by the British government to improve transport links between London and Ireland. Between 1815 and 1826, Telford rebuilt large sections of the A5, creating a reliable mail coach route to Holyhead, the departure point for ferries to Dublin. His work included innovative engineering projects such as the Menai Suspension Bridge, which dramatically improved access to Anglesey. During the 19th century, the A5 became a vital artery for trade, communication, and travel. Although the rise of railways later reduced its prominence, the road remained important. Today, much of the A5 still follows Telford's alignment, serving as both a practical route and a reminder of Britain's transport heritage. In this book, Chris 'Wolfie' Cooper takes us on a fascinating journey, one that begins as we leave the Great North Road at Barnet. We then travel on through places such as St Albans, Dunstable, Fenny and Stony Stratford, Towcester, Tamworth, Cannock, Telford, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Llangollen and Corwen, not forgetting the main locations in between. We also take in Thomas Telford's 1815-20 upgrades via Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. On our journey we explore the old coaching inns, we meet highwaymen and we find all of the lost stubs of road. We look at old maps showing earlier stretches of road, now bypassed and left as laybys or simply forgotten. We go through places also now bypassed, and see where coach passengers would have stopped and eaten. This, then, is the story of the Great Holyhead Road as never seen before.