Small Story of a Big Road

by Chris Joseph

This illustrated short book by Chris Joseph is dedicated "For the People who live with the North Circular Road"

The short 16 page booklet features a collection of illustrations depicting the rebuilding of the North Circular Road over the last few years.

The illustrations - mostly in colour, with some smaller monochrome images - show scenes that local people will remember from the years of digging, building and reconstruction.

Several, like the one shown here on the right, are  night-time scenes of floodlit set-pieces like the night the pre-constructed footbridge was lowered into place over Bowes Road. Images faithfully record the details  of the construction work right down to contractors logos.

Inter weaved amongst the illustrations is a story - told in the form of a myth - using term like "monsters" and "princesses" as it tells the story of rebuilding. In places this tone feels somewhat awkward as officers from Enfield Council appear as if they were characters in a mythic folk tale. But the story has some eloquent passages for example about the children at Bowes School.

Overall this an exceptional record of the years of construction with a number of powerful and evocative local images.

Copies of Small Story of a Big Road are available from the author Chris Joseph at £5 per copy e-mail for more information: