I am very disappointed by this book as I was expecting to enjoy visualising the route of Watling Street as the author described his journey along the way, The front cover graphic encouraged me to believe this when i started to read the book. The problem was the road and his stop-offs at various places became a trigger for constructing a wholly unexpected narrative about his life in Brighton as a gay man, which, as it happens, as a place has no connection to Watling Street, so why write about it? There is also a geographical incontinence of other places that have no connection whatsoever to Watling Street Like North Wales, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and even USA.. And my god, if we didn't have enough newsprint and what seems like hundreds of book titles devoted to exiting the European Union, we have the old B word too Brexit and not only that but an attack on over 17 million people (the majority) who voted for Brexit. The Irony is that having kicked the Romans out of Britain well after they had built Watling Street, to argue that we should again love the EU (including Italy) is trying to argue against most of our 2,000 year history. Stick to the subject - Watling Street - and don't use it as a random springboard for
your own life's events and a remoaner view of the world which the country post 3 years and a December 2019 general election which was won hands-down by those who wanted Brexit to at last happen. Get over it, otherwise I suggest teh book should be retitled "Why Watling Street Proves We Need the EU and What The Romans Really Did For Us" David Moore

I love reading history books and very much enjoyed this history of Watling Street, which occupies a very interesting place in history.

Living just yards away from Watling Street myself I found this book fascinating. Suspect it would be better in print so that it is easier to view maps, photos etc.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Our history is all around us even today. We travel down Watling street from the white cliffs of Dover to Anglesey in North Wales. Much of our British history was made on this street from the stories of the Canterbury tales. Miss Havisham's house imagined by Charles Dickens. Thomas Dun and Dunstable. British folk hero's such as Robin Hood. The wonders of Bletchley Park and it's role in society and the war. We find the centre point of Great Britain. Argue over land ownership. Discuss the beginnings of Rugby and end up finishing the story at the end of the street in North Wales.
This is a true historic British family adventure!

I could read this book time and time again. It was full of interesting facts of times gone by. A great read.

A really enjoyable and interesting ramble through Britain along the ancient pathway of Watling Street. Packed full of facts and reflections, I liked the way it expanded on topics as they came up and gave modern history as much room as ancient.

Back in May, I requested a copy of Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past by John Higgs because, living just off this ancient road, I was interested to learn more about it.

In this book, Higgs takes us on a journey along one of Britain’s oldest roads, from the White Cliffs of Dover to the Druid groves of Anglesey, which was long ago formed by the tramping of feet; straightened by the army of Rome and gained the name Watling Street in the Dark Ages. This has been a road of witches and ghosts, of queens and highwaymen, of history and myth, of Chaucer, Dickens and James Bond. Alongside it Boudicca met her end; the Battle of Bosworth was fought; the Nazi’s enigma code was broken at Bletchley Park and Capability Brown remodelled the English landscape.

Methodically, Higgs works his way up the road starting in London and stopping off at key points along the way to discuss the history of the area; the people who lived there and the culture that sprung up there. Each stop off is detailed and well described, but loose in structure as Higgs allows his thoughts and feelings to meander and grow. Which is great when it is a topic you enjoy, however I found it hard when he got into full flow on something I didn’t share his passion on.

I found the glimpse into the history, culture and characters of Canterbury, the infamous Tyburn, St Albans, Dunstable and Bletchley fascinating. On the other hand, I wasn’t very interested in the town planning of Milton Keynes; the street football game in Atherstone or the enthusing on life in London (not living there myself). So a real mixed bag! Sadly there was also no stop off in my own home town. In fact it only warranted one or two lines! While I learnt more about the rest of the road, I have to admit being extremely disappointed not to learn anything about my own piece of the road.

Overall though, I thought Watling Street by John Higgs was an interesting, if somewhat eccentric and meandering, exploration of the people, history and culture that has grown up along this ancient road.

A delightful, well written and very readable book. Not a travelogue I expected but a journey from Dover to Holyhead bringing stories and myths from the past together with current and topical activities/interests found on route. All raise questions who we are and whether we are all different or part on a continuum that is the UK. Interesting an thought provoking, particularly in these uncertain times when attitudes to Brexit have been seriously divisive. I hope the format will be used again travelling other trunk roads. There is more for us to learn

I love ancient pathways. WATLING STREET: TRAVELS THROUGH BRITAIN AND ITS EVER-PRESENT PAST, to give this book its full title, by John Higgs follows the ancient route of Watling Street from Dover to Angelsey. This has been a road since before the Romans, nobody knows who first walked it or when. It called out to be read.

When I picked up Watling Street I vaguely expected a linear passage through landscape and history and that is what you get, well sort of. Very early on you are introduced to the concept of Noosphere, that is the swirl of human thought and belief. Quite distinct from the, more familiar, Geosphere (rocks and rivers) or Biosphere (plants and animals). By taking a journey along Watling Street we are to delve into what makes us the nation that we are today.

The journey starts in Dover over shadowed by her castle. This has been in constant use from the Romans right up until the Second World War when a network of tunnels was dug into the cliffs. Looking over the shoulder of the book is the fact that John Higgs began his journey on the day of the Brexit referendum, he looks at the present and sees an angry and divided nation. At Canterbury, we see the tomb of Thomas a Becket viewed in the light of rebellion against status quo.

The journey from Canterbury to London is taken with Geoffrey Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, or rather in reverse with pass the pilgrims midway. Once in London the echo of medieval prostitutes (known as Winchester geese) are heard down the centuries. On the other side of London at the base of the A5 it is the ghosts of Tyburn and lack of modern speakers at Speakers Corner that are drawn to our attention.

At St Albans we ponder whether or not St Alban would make a better patron saint for England, given his status as the first English Christian martyr. Onwards to Bletchley and the ingenious women and men who helped crack the German codes hove into view. Richard III lost his crown at Bosworth Field just a stone’s throw from the A5. After that we fast forward to Angelsey the last place of refuge of the Druids.

I enjoyed Watling Street: Travels through Britain and her ever present past, it is not a straight forward look her and you will see this guide. It makes you think about the events that occurred in the past and how they shape how we are today. If you feel that echoes of the past can be felt in the present than this is the book for you, if you prefer a list of castles then maybe look elsewhere.

Watling Street is one of the four ancient roads that cross England and date back to pre-Roman times. Extending from Dover in the South-East to Anglesey in North Wales, Watling Street is a road with history at every turn and one which also provides a microcosm of life in England from the past to the present. John Higgs travels this road and visits various places of interest, telling the stories of each and how they have influenced life as we know it.

This is one of my favourite genres of book, the sort that almost defies description. On Amazon this book is classed as 'history' but it's much more, part travelogue, part exploration of culture, part social biography, part conversations with interesting people and part memoir. The tales meander a little too much at times but always there's something of interest upcoming. A bit like the road itself this book covers a lot of ground and there's lots to experience.

This book takes the reader on an interesting historical journey along the famous Watling Street from the white cliffs of Dover to Holyhead, Wales. The book covers many notable events along the route in an entertaining manner. It is not my normal choice of light reading but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy.

As a history geek and a Londoner, this book is ideal. I love showing my students around London and this book has given me several anecdotes to add to my "fun facts". This book is a fascinating and relevant journey and I thoroughly enjoyed adding it to my reading list.

Crikey what a history! The history of Watling Street through the ages was so enjoyable I found myself telling my kids and husband all the interesting morsels about this legendary road! From druids to Chaucer, Boudicca to Bletchley Park, I was blown away by a road so famous it's past is so often forgotten! Fantastic read, excellently told and very addictive.

I really like John Higgs writing style and Watling Street is no exception. He writes intelligently and rationally - often about controversial, difficult to grasp or leftfield subjects - in a concise and engaging way that cleverly weaves and intertwines a number of different subjects into the narrative without you really noticing. This means that he plants a lot of seeds which germinate and grow and give you lots of food for thought not just whilst reading but also shortly afterwards when you've put the book down. And for quite some time in the future when these sort of thoughts just pop back into your mind.

Watling Street is a story about travelling along this particular road to discover the history of Britain and discover more about its identity. As with John's other books it does this very well but ultimately achieves so much more. It is an all encompassing consideration of where we've come from and how this has shaped our current world. At times funny, poignant and gruesome there are common themes of the blurring between history and myth, how history is often used for specific purposes rather than reflecting reality, especially considering some of the tragedies and injustices of the past.

Having lived in Telford for the last 22 years, I have travelled the local sections of Watling Street many times, but I still learnt so much while reading this book. I had no idea that there was the possibility of Watling Street being pre Roman nor that the name Watling Street was from centuries after the Roman's left, I learnt both those facts from this book, and much more.

I really enjoyed the writing style, it was engaging while also being informing. and I often found myself reading sections aloud to other family members.

The most important aspect of this book, however was placing the current divided Britain of Brexit campaigning and vopting, in the context of our truly united past. Our united past, our identity is illustrated in this road itself and I travel it now with new eyes, since reading this book.

This is one of the most interesting historical Travelogues I have read in a long time. It is a very clever concoction of History and socio-political commentary cleverly bound by the proximity to the ancient thoroughfare named Watling Street.

It does not preach, but definitely makes you question your ideas on national identity, it brings history to life in stark juxtaposition with modern issues.

I enjoyed it immensely.

Watling Street is a charming and readable history book that combines British history, popular culture, and observations on modern society, all centred around the ancient road from Dover to Anglesey. Chapters follow the road up along the A2, the A5, and the M6 toll to pinpoint specific locations and match them with historical fact and anecdote. Higgs links in his own travels on and around Watling Street, from a family trip to Bletchley Park to stories about his childhood. What results is an eclectic book that blends older and modern history, references pop culture from classic literature to recent music, and remarks upon the state of the nation in the post-EU referendum time.

The introduction about Milton Keynes will immediately draw in anyone who has ever visited or lived in that infamously grid-shaped concrete hub. Indeed, the book’s particular audience is likely to be anyone who lives or regularly visits places along the road, as there is a certain excitement on finding familiar locations and their history told in Higgs’ warm and interesting style. Some of the historical stories and figures will probably be well-known to many readers, but the way that Higgs connects these with physical location and with modern references and ideals adds a different twist. He explores and questions ideas and definitions of Britain, turning what could sound from its summary like an uncomfortably nationalistic book into one that priorities the variation in the country and wonders how Brexit will affect visions of Britain like Higgs’ own.

Watling Street is part popular history and part light-hearted state of the nation book, with personal anecdotes from Alan Moore sitting alongside information on how Romans built their roads.

Having loved ’The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds’ and ’Stranger than we can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century’ I was keen to read more writing by John Higgs (aka J.M.R. Higgs). This sense of anticipation was further heightened when I had the good fortune to listen to him (alongside Alan Moore and Iain Sinclair) at an event themed around this new book ’Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past’.

Brexit looms large over ’Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past’, early on in the book John Higgs explains how:

Our sense of national identity is is fearful and troubled in these days of uncertainty, austerity and blame, and we are going to have to go in deep if we want to cure this division.

We are seeking a better sense of national identity. Not one that is imposed on us by the state, monarchy or military, but one which bubbles naturally out of the land - an identity that is welcoming, not insular; magical rather than boorish; creative rather than triumphant. It is out there, waiting for us, and if we head out of the front door and follow that road, we will find it. It is an identity fit for those who would live nowhere else in the world, but who wince at jingoism and flag-waving. It should not make anyone proud to be British; it should make them delighted to be British.

What’s not to love about that?

’Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past’ is exactly the kind of book I love. Higgs is the master of disparate, quirky, unexpected and interesting connections. As he makes his journey along Watling Street, one of Britain’s oldest roads, travelling from Dover to Anglesey, he uncovers a hidden history, or histories to be more accurate. Part of his thesis is that if we don’t like the narrative we are given we can find numerous alternatives, such is the rich history and culture of these islands.

Watling Street is a road of witches and ghosts, of queens and highwaymen, of history and myth, of Chaucer, Dickens and James Bond. Along this route Boudicca met her end, the Battle of Bosworth changed royal history, Bletchley Park code breakers cracked Nazi transmissions and Capability Brown remodelled the English landscape.

The myriad people who use this road every day might think it unremarkable, but, as John Higgs shows, it hides its secrets in plain sight. Watling Street is not just the story of a route across our island, but an acutely observed, unexpected exploration of Britain and who we are today, told with wit and flair, and an unerring eye for the curious and surprising.

Having finished this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it, I now feel compelled to make a similar journey along a remarkable and inspiring route that connects the White Cliffs of Dover to the ancient Druid stronghold of the Welsh island of Anglesey. See you on the road.

If you're British, you'll be well acquainted with the type of tv programme that follows a 'celebrity' on a journey. Whether it be Julia Bradbury or Tony Robinson or Alex Polizzi, they all follow a fairly similar model. Along the way, the presenters meet up with various locals with a story to tell or an activity that requires the presenter's amused participation. These characters may be totally unrepresentative of the local environment and may add nothing to the story of the journey. They are there for entertainment value.

Welcome to Watling Street! The first and last couple of chapters were reasonably interesting but the whole journey, if it was made at all, is simply an excuse for spending time with other people or telling stories that are all too familiar to most of us, e.g. Rugby school, Bletchley Park. Mixed in with this random assortment of history bites is a dabble into pub politics and musings on the meaning of nationalism.

I wanted to read this book as I enjoy a good journey with a good travel writer. This doesn't fall into this category. I'm not sure how it should be categorised really. It will also be out dated very quickly as while Brexit is the topic of the moment, two or three years down the line I don't think we'll care.

With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC.