London to Loweswater A journey through England at the end of the Twentieth Century

by Hunter Davies

New Labour, New England? Practically an institution in himself, author and journalist Davies' latest work is part travelogue, part autobiography, part snapshot of the state of England on the brink of the new millennium.

Blending themes from two of his previous works, 'The Good Guide To The Lakes' and 'Living On The Lottery', Davies draws on his personal travels, interviews with a range of interesting people from a graduate, a Duchess, a British Waterways workman and one of "Blair's babes" MPs. He examines National Lottery projects in order to elucidate his personal view of English life and its institutions.

His inspiration is J B Priestley's classic 1934 book "English Journey" in which Priestley identified his different Englands: Tourist England, 19th-century England and New England. Davies looks at Heritage and Lottery England. He writes from an equally privileged, establishment perspective and cheerfully admits his connections.

Indeed the names he drops throughout the book read as a who's who of the London elite. Yet what breathes life into his voyage are the interviews with people he meets on his travels -the seemingly ordinary souls who prove to be much more fascinating and revealing than the guests at Tony Blair's party which he attends at the start of his journey. He is adept at finding quirky originality in the homogenous high streets of England.

Davies's style is almost that of stream of consciousness, interjecting his opinions and anecdotes as he travels on his journey. He passes through the old towns of Britain - Derby and Tring - and more recent outcrops of Englishness - Milton Keynes (where every new house is connected to cable TV) and the regenerated Salford Docks. His reminiscences of the Beatles when visiting Liverpool are particularly interesting.

What his journey reveals is the clash between urban and city life, embodied in Davies himself (he divides his time between London and rural Loweswater in the Lake District). Whilst never the twain shall meet, in Davies' rosy and entertaining portrayal of England, both communities are moving towards the future with optimism. - Anna Hornsey.

223 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Edward Hunter Davies OBE is an author, journalist and broadcaster, and a former editor for the Sunday Times of London. He is the author of numerous books, including The Glory Game and the only authorised biography of the Beatles. He was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four years his family lived in Dumfries until Davies was aged 11.

His family moved to Carlisle in northern England when Davies was 11 and he attended the Creighton School in the city. Davies lived in Carlisle until he moved to study at university. During this time his father, who was a former Royal Air Force pay clerk, developed multiple sclerosis and had to retire on medical grounds from a civil service career.

Davies joined the sixth form at Carlisle Grammar School and was awarded a place at University College, Durham to read for an honours degree in History, but after his first year he switched to a general arts course. He gained his first writing experience as a student, contributing to the university newspaper, Palatinate, where one of his fellow student journalists was the future fashion writer Colin McDowell. After completing his degree course he stayed on at Durham for another year to gain a teaching diploma and avoid National Service.

He lives in London.

Reviews

[Anders Hanson]

This book has sat on my shelf for some years, but only when I started to read it did I realise how long. It’s a pleasant amble from London to Loweswater in the Lake District, via a handful of interesting (some unsurprising, some less so) towns and cities en route. It’s an interesting book which uncovers some interesting places, people and nuggets of information, although at times I was surprised by the writer’s lack of knowledge about things that I’d have thought he’d have known as a fairly worldly journalist. What does stand out is how dated this book is now with Hunter Davies having to explain what a call centre is and being shocked at paying £1.20 for a cappuccino (if only they were that cheap now). But it’s a book that really appealed and showed an eclectic ramble round a handful of quite interesting spots.

[Liz]

An average read.
I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the places, their history, and how Hunter got there but, like other books of his, I didn’t like reading about all the people he met, apart from the man who lead the group across Morecambe Bay. Particularly in later books such as his Isle of Wight one, it seems to detract from the travelogue/ memoir.
It also felt very dated particularly with respect to mobile phones and how he saw hardly any up north, which would not happen today. And finally, he never moved to Loweswater full time, now spending a lot of time in the Isle of Wight with his lady friends following his wife’s death in early 2016.