From Dishforth up to the northern edge of Tyneside, the A19 is a major route running east of the A1, serving all the large and important towns that its more famous counterpart doesn't reach.
It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.
The "Preston By-Pass" was Britain's first motorway, opened in 1958. These books show the road as it was on opening day and share some of the thrill of this pioneering project.