for a date with the maid, is killed near Retford. In Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Princess, the third volume of The Infernal Devices trilogy, Will Herondale takes the road after leaving London on his way to Wales to find Tessa Gray. The road also features in The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, as the protagonists' brother tries to cross the Great North Road somewhere near Barnet through a frenzied exodus of refugees from London, driven north by the approach of Martians from the south. In the oft-quoted first part of his essay England Your England, writer George Orwell refers to the "to-and-fro of the lorries on the Great North Road" as being a characteristic fragment of English life. The road is mentioned in Mark Knopfler's song, "5:15 AM", from the album Shangri La. The High Road mentioned in Loch Lomond is also a reference to it. The song "Heading South on the Great North Road" on Sting's 2016 album 57th & 9th refers to the Great North Road in paying tribute to artists from the North East who found success in London. The character of Lord Grantham references the Great Northern Road in the television series Downton Abbey. See also The National Cycle Route 1 The A1000, a main road in the United Kingdom, running north from Highgate, north London for approximately 20 miles to Welwyn, parts of which are on the route of the Great North Road and still bear the name. The A10 (in certain sections known as Great Cambridge Road or Old North Road) a main road in the United Kingdom, running north from London Bridge to King's Lynn. References External links 1939 film of the Great North Road https://web.archive.org/web/20030929025857/http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/contents.htm A1 road (Great Britain) Historic trails and roads in the United Kingdom Roads in England Roads in Scotland