Hope & Glory: The days that made Britain

by Stuart Maconie

‘These were the days that made us, and these are the day trips to find them. Should we do a flask? And are you sure you’ll be warm enough in that coat?’

In Hope and Glory Stuart Maconie goes in search of the places, people and events that have shaped modern Britain. Starting with the death of Queen Victoria, to the Battle of the Somme and the General Strike, and on to the docking of the Empire Windrush and Bobby Moore raising the Jules Rimet trophy, he chooses a defining moment in our nation’s story from each decade of the last century and explores its legacy today.

Some were glorious days, some were tragic, or even shameful, but each has played its part in making us who we are as a nation. From pop stars to politicians, Suffragettes to punks, this is a journey around Britain in search of who we are.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, British Literature, Humor, Travel, Politics, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2011

About the author

Stuart Maconie is a TV and radio presenter, journalist, columnist and author.

He is the UK’s best-selling travel writer of non-TV tie-in books and his Pies and Prejudice was one of 2008’s top selling paperbacks. His work has been compared with Bill Bryson, Alan Bennett and John Peel and described by The Times as a 'National Treasure'.

He co-hosts the Radcliffe and Maconie Show on BBC Radio 2 every Monday – Thursday evening, as well as The Freak Zone on 6Music on Sunday afternoons, and has written and presented dozens of other shows on BBC Radio. His TV work includes presenting the BBC's On Trial shows, Pop on Trial and Style on Trial, as well as Stuart Maconie’s TV Towns, a popular gazeteer of major British cities and their roles in modern cultural life for ITV 4 and The Cinema Show/The DVD Collection on BBC 4.

As well as a popping up in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, and on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Stuart was a favourite on hit TV series such as the BBC's I love the 1970s' , I love the 1980s , and is now in variously Grumpy... . His other books include the acclaimed official biographies of both Blur and James. He can name GQ Man of the Year and Sony Awards Radio Broadcaster of the Year amongst his accolades. He has regular columns in The Radio Times and Country Walking and writes for WORD magazine and The Mirror.

Reviews

[LadyMirkwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the comparisons. Stuart Maconie is often called 'The British Bill Bryson'. I can see why. They both have a warm, engaging tone and both are informative and funny. This aside, what I like about this book is that he has a real passion for Britain and it's people. Rather than just the normal subjects of history, Kings, statesmen and so forth, Maconie also tells of others who made their mark in British history, miners, celebrities, soldiers, etc.

Maconie also posits the idea that although we percieve culture in terms of high and low, it is all essentially culture, and everything therein is a part of who where and how we live, an idea he ties together very well in later chapters.

All in all, you'll come away from this book a little more knowledgeable, more than a little amused, and with a slightly content feel, because, as always, Maconies books are a wonderful comfort blanket.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A combination of social history and travel. Taking one event from each decade of the 20th Century, Stuart Maconie visits the places where history happened to determine how the events shaped the Britain of today.

Stuart always includes himself in the stories and so makes it a deeply personal journey as well as a commentary on the social changes of the 1900s and the opportunities that were missed.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several times when reading this book it was very clear that I was not  Maconie's target audience.

The assumption that unless we were priests, policemen or poets all his readers would at one time in their working life have been on strike (never).

Or that we agree with him when he gets on his political soap box (very rarely). He takes an often lazy swipe at all the usual targets although I get the impression that the passing of the years might be lightening the chips on his shoulders. At least he laughs at himself sometimes and doesn't always take himself too seriously!

However, despite not being a Left Wing, Working Class Northerner and, being able to ignore his occasional preachiness, I found him a generally amusing and insightful writer.

Any comparisons as a travel writer with Bill Bryson should be taken with a shovel full of salt. And if you aren't British I would imagine that a lot of the cultural references would be completely impenetrable.
However, sentences like the one below, with all its hidden British subtleties, makes perfect sense to me!

'These were the days that made us, and these are the day trips to find them. Should we do a flask? And are you sure you'll be warm enough in that coat?'

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Stuart Maconie's writing and was not disappointed with this one. He takes various events that have happened in the last hundred years, one for each decade, and goes on a Road Trip to research them. Events such as the Jarrow March, World Cup of 1966 and the Live Aid Concert. All written with dry humour and the obvious occasional mention of music.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Maconie's books, there is generally a pretty consistent style in the writing - gentle humour and wit, the author travelling about meeting ordinary people (and often eating teacakes) in small British towns, backed up with some good factual content explained well - so often I have found how much I enjoy his books depends on the strength of the premise.

With 'Pies and Prejudice..' I thought this premise was good, with 'Adventures on the High Teas..' less so. This was certainly more the former, for all that I thought on occasion that 'place sorta associated with important event in history being visited to comment gently on locals in cafes/libraries/pubs etc.' didn't necessarily always work as a relevant thing. Maconie's choice of ten moments spread over ten decades that defined modern Britain, and the telling of these historical tales (albeit with some bias) was however very strong and educational.

[Stephen McQuiggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uses a different day from each decade of the 20th Century to show how it helped shape and define modern Britain. A joy to read - is there really anything better to say about a book than those four simple words? Takes in the Jarrow march, the Somme, the scaling of Everest, and Live Aid; a journey from Queen Victoria to Morrissey where trivia abounds. Insightful, funny, brilliant.

[Michael Rumney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maconie takes us on a journey looking at the history and sometimes geography Britain by looking at a key event of each decade of the twentieth century. He then goes off in various tangents imparting his knowledge about music and random facts that are impossible to remember. Well the great majority.
There is a vein of humour running through the book but it's not the type to make you laugh out loud.
Maconie is a regular talking head on TV programmes and it's easy to see why he is referred to as a professional northerner.
A definite bias towards the north in his writing, which isn't a bad thing.
A book which probably best read at a chapter a day to fully digest the information the author throws at you.

[Sho · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quote on the front, from The Observer, says 'as funny as Bryson and as wise as Orwell'. I haven't read any of Orwell's travel writing (I have The Road To Wigan Pier on my "to read" shelf) but I have read a lot of Bryson (and Charlie Connolley, and Tim Moore and others of that ilk) and i know good travel writing when I see it. And I saw it here.

The premise of this book is to take one event per decade of the twentieth century, that encapsulates Britain at that time. So we move from the death of Queen Victoria, through the First World War (a very moving chapter), the General Strike, the first television broadcaast, the arrival of the Windrush, the first successful ascent of mount Everest, the 1966 world cup, the Queen's Silver Jubilee reflecting the pros and the cons (with particular reference to God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols), Live Aid, and the change in British politics heralded by the election as Prime Minister of Tony Blair in 1997.

Maconie's politics are unashamedly on the left (and pretty much match mine, which probably makes me love this book a lot more than, say, Michael Heseltine, would) and it shows. That is not a criticism, although it would be interesting to see the same subjects tackled by a Daily Mail writer. Liz Jones perhaps. Or maybe not.

This guy can write. The language and imagery are great. He is flippant and amusing at the right time but when tackling something like the Jarrow March or the First World War his writing takes on an altogether different tone. Not reverential, exactly, but respectful of what happened and the people affected. For the sections on the 70s onwards I could really relate to what he was writing about, because I lived through those things - it was a real treat to read those chapters in particular.

More I'm not going to say. Except that when I finished this, I wanted there to be more. So now I'm off to search out a few more of his books.

[Derek Bridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liking Maconie on the radio, I thought I'd try some of his writing, and am pleased that I did.

The conceit of the book is to take one day from every decade of the twentieth century -a day in which something important happened in Britain, e.g. the death of Queen Victoria, the Battle of the Somme, and so on- and to give a kind of social history of Britain by following the ripples out from that day.

The books is part travelogue, part wry social commentary - and in its humour and its concerns is very English, very northern English. For some, the Englishness will be off-putting; for others, it will be where the book's charm lies.

I'm not sure that the book is terribly insightful, and some chapters are more informative than others (the first chapter stands out in this regard). On a stylistic point, sometimes the book lurches abruptly at changes of scene. Overall, it's like a toasted teacake - warm, crumbly, and embedded with sweet raisins.

[Godzilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the comparsions with Bill Bryson are a little off beam - yes they both deal with the oddities of travel and unearth little bon mots.

However the comparison is akin to comparing Phineas Fogg and Adolf Hitler: they both liked exploring new lands, but one is slightly more politically motivated than the other!

Not that I am levelling that as a criticism, but Mr Maconie doesn't shy away from offering his political views. It's a straightforwrd statement generally, and then he leaves you to form your own judgements.

Politics aside, and the book really isn't focused on that, there are some wonderful vignettes of British history and the development of our modern culture.

If you lack interest in any of that, then the book serves as a impressive guide to the quality of local cafes and restaurants throughout this green and (sometimes)pleasantland!

[Vicki Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my money, Stuart Maconie is one of the finest broadcasters of his generation. He is also an insightful and entertaining writer. His discussions on the rise of New Labour and Liveaid are spot on. I am not a football fan but did as I was bid and read the chapter of the 1966 World Cup. It was my favourite of the whole book. As with Maconie's other titles, his voice, in all its Lancastrian glory, rings clear and true.

[Catherine Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky how the last chapter was about the 1997 election and today is election day 😯

[Alyson Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, and sometimes amusing, journey through modern history from the beginnings of the suffragette movement to the election of 'New Labour'.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the idea underlying idea behind this book. Take one date from each decade and look at the event that happened on that day and follow the ripples down through time to see how it affected the country. As with the majority of Stuart Maconie books the writing runs the gamut from sadness, through mild amusement, downright anger to belly laughs. This book manages to be both historical but at the same time has an element of memoir about it.

[Joe O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part-historical narrative, part-travelogue, 1CHope and Glory 1D is an endeavour by broadcaster and writer Stuart Maconie to map the most significant political and cultural events that shaped Britain throughout the 20th Century.

The author creates an overview of British history by taking ten pivotal occasions from each decade of the last century, from the death of Queen Victoria and World War I, to the conquest of Everest, through the rise of punk rock to the defeat of the miners 19 strike and on to Live Aid. Throughout 1CHope and Glory 1D, Maconie draws fascinating parallels and makes quirky connections; for example, using the Sex Pistols as the starting point for a meditation on the British monarchy, and taking Live Aid as the starting point to discuss the changing nature of celebrity.

As any fan of Maconie 19s previous publications would expect, 1CHope and Glory 1D is brimming with wry wit and penetrating insights on popular culture. Maconie is at his best when he drops any pretence of impartiality, particularly in his forceful, sorrowful account of the 1984-5 miners 19 strike, but also in his description of how the Tony Blair-led New Labour landslide ushered in an era of spin and micro-management that hollowed out British politics. The author is also excellent at capturing the dysfunction and fevered paranoia of 1970s Britain, and at depicting the true horror and waste of human life at the Battle of the Somme.

The book is not, unfortunately, without some flaws. I found the chapter which goes over the well-trodden ground of the 1966 World cup to be much less illuminating than the rest of the book. Neither is Maconie 19s examination of the history of British Television enriched by a lengthy digression on 1CLast of the Summer Wine 1D. The tome might also have benefitted from a more in-depth look at the how Britain 19s relationship with Ireland evolved throughout the 20th century. Scotland and Wales also get scant mentions, so perhaps the book could be accused of being a tad England-centric.

But these criticisms should not detract from an intelligent, passionate, elegantly-written work. 1CHope and Glory 1D perhaps lacks the focus and coherence of Maconie 19s previous works 13 particularly 1CPies & Prejudice 1D, his wonderful paean to the North of England. But there is much in this book for devotees of both British political history and travel writing to savour.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly two months have passed since I listened to this, and I wish I'd written the review immediately after! But it was good fun. I loved his combination of history, storytelling and travel writing. He turned up in some really funny locations - I suppose the locations that get missed by the writers who focus on tourist destinations - and in doing so, I did feel like he painted a picture of a more authentic Britain. I enjoyed the way he was able to start with a very specific date in the diary, but expand that date to decades of backstory and history. When I started it, I wondered how he would capture what makes Britain in single days, and it was a very clever way to actually talk about whole generations. I loved the focus on the working class (though he did give a nod to QEII); sadly I've never gone on strike, but I have agitated with a union before, so hopefully that counts. I adored the stories about the Suffragettes, and of the working class communities going on strike and standing up for themselves. It's such a different tale than your standard - WW1, WW2, Cold War.

He did seem to take umbrage with what some academics would label them as the underclass (Maconie, coming from a working class background, probably doesn't equate it with those he berates), but I get his disappointment. I also like how he acknowledges and defends the tradition of diversity in the UK.

It's a fun one to listen to if you want to hear British 20th century history from a different perspective, and listening to it as an audiobook, with Maconie as a professional storyteller.

ETA: I thought I'd add one of my updates to this, because I thought it was fun: "Listening to the audiobook, and I had to stop when he described being on radio, how you must imagine you're talking to one person, bc if you knew you were talking to several Wembley arenas in one go, you'd panic. I think that's why I did so well on my radio show in uni. I assumed it was late and maybe 5 people were listening, until a friend told me he was in a police car (innocently) and they were listening. Crazy."

[Gabbiadini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being of a similar age as the author and raised in the Lancashire town of St. Helens a few miles from Stuart maconie's stomping ground of Wigan , reading this book was like reminiscing with an old friend . Socialism was in bred into you and the miners strike of '84 was a major influence on my future politics and values, his chapter on the strike was heartbreakingly true in the way it affected us all for a generation . The socialist lecturers at liverpool polytechnic seemed like spouse versions of citizen smith and were taken with a pinch of salt right up until this time when first hand experience told you the police would do whatever they were told regardless of the morality or legality of it . My views of them since that time have had no reason to change. The Hillsboro cover up reinforced their arrogant belief that they could do what they liked.
I digress, the book is fabulously written with as many interesting facts as there are humorous passages . I lived in the rather weirdly named Rock Ferry and spent time in Port Sunlight and found the memories came flooding back.
I can heartily recommend this and mr maconie's other works to everyone , not just northern male socialists of a certain age!

[Te · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stuart Maconie's very human rendition of twentieth century British history focuses on telling the story of important social shifts and events in Britain through the lens of ten days, one in each decade of the last century. What makes it such a special book (for me) is Maconie's deeply felt, angry, crystal clear evocation of the temerity of the struggles and bravery of movements that he examines. And this is a book largely about movements - with chapters on suffrage and the end of Victoriana, the Jarrow hunger march and Labour movements, WWI, football, multi-ethnic immigration, Live Aid and celebrity culture, and five more, Hope and Glory charts the passions and pitfalls of a nation's changing preoccupations through a tumultuous century.

Finally, and precisely, the name of the book is: "Hope and Glory: The days That Made Britain". The implied 'great', hanging just off the tip of the tongue and edge of the page, begs the question it asks, and sets the tone for the whole book.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It has made me want to go to so many places, and had reminded me of events I have lived through (and many I haven't) looked at from a different perspective. Stuart Maconie is an engaging writer and the musical references littered through the book make the reading more appealing. A recommended read for anyone interested in a lighter look at British history and as a first step into researching deeper.

[Mark Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stuart Maconie is, for me, our best travel writer. And this is, in my humble opinion, his finest work. Every place was vividly coloured with some great and not always well known history. It made me want to get into my car and go to all of the places to soak up the atmosphere ...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything a book should be, it makes you think, question yourself and others, look around you and think about the past, and the future.
A tiny bit preachy at times, but Maconie has such a light touch as a writer that I'll forgive him even that.
Highly recommended.

[SarahK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable and interesting take on telling the history of the UK - a bit meandering in places but I really liked it and learnt a lot from it

[Mark Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never sure about Stuart Maconie before I read this book. On the odd occasion I have caught his radio shows (usually with Mark Radcliffe) I have found them entertaining. On the other hand I always find his talking head appearances on nostalgia shows slightly arrogant and sarcastic. Journalists from the golden age of pop journalism really care about music and I'm with them when they talk about the manipulation of pop by dinosaurs and the how they tried to suppress anything that might have sent the poor youth wayward and disturbed the establishment. On the other hand, those same journalists were giving us their view of alternative music - there aren't many journalists who write a piece from a purely objective viewpoint.

This book is no different and it has put me firmly on Maconie's side. I'm a definite liker of the chap now. Let's get it out of the way - I'm a bit of a leftie and reading a social history of Britain from someone who leans the same way was never going to see me disagree much. One chapter alone made me think "hmmm, not sure about that" but otherwise I was with Stuart all the way.

Maconie looks at the 20th century in Britain by focussing on one event in each decade. Like most of these books it says it's about Britain but it's mostly about England. However, this is about the people - the majority. Many (not all) of the issues discussed will affect people from anywhere geographically as this mostly focuses on social positions and (that awful word) class. When considering the impact of the first large wave of immigration it is obvious that London and other English cities would have a larger focus but there are interesting diversions to Thetford, Kings Lynn and elsewhere. The 1950s focuses on the Coronation and the ascent of Everest that (officially, but not actually) happened on the same day but contains fascinating visits to Snowdon, my neighbourhood of Kinder Scout and the Lake District. The Lake District also features heavily in the early chapter about the first world war where Maconie visits one of the very few (and I do mean very few, we are talking double figures) parishes in the whole of Britain that suffered no casualties in the Great War.

And this is the absolute joy of the book. The historical core is fascinating, as it should be, but Maconie also describes with intimate detail his journeys and stays in many British towns. Small towns, towns that you will have heard of but have never visited - Maconie doesn't just visit them, he lives them. If you went to Holmfirth, you wouldn't learn half as much as Maconie who just notices stuff. Small stuff, menial stuff, but he notices and learns so much about a place.

Of course, throughout the book there are pop culture references. As you would expect from an ex-punk (I wonder if he would dispute the 'ex'?) and music journo there are many musical references and also film and TV. Maconie is a nostalgist as well as a modern thinker - and in a good way. Most people who wallow in nostalgia seem to take the view that everything was better in the olden days, but Maconie is happy to say "remember when....wasn't that good?" as much as he is to say "remember when...better now, isn't it?"

And the chapter that I'm not sure about? It's the focus of Live Aid in 1985 as the day when celebrity was born. Don't get me wrong, I know it was pivotal and a huge moment but I'm not convinced it was the birth of celebrity status. Maybe it hurried things up but I don't think it was as definite as that. But that's the only moment in the book that I'm not sure about - that doesn't happen very often.

The quotes on the back of my copy are quotes I fully agree with. Maconie is an engaging writer, he is as [possibly] as funny as Bryson and [possibly] as wise as Orwell and this book should DEFINITELY be made available in every school. Anyone who says it is dangerously left wing is wrong, it counteracts the version of history you might have read and this book is the truth you probably already knew, whatever position in society you sit. It doesn't just make me want to read it over and over again, it makes me want to get on a train and just live.

[Rachel Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the days...

Stuart Maconie, inventor of the coinage 'Britpop' and the urban myth that Bob Holness played saxophone on Gerry Rafferty’s Baker St, investigates the 20th Century days that, in his opinion, made modern Britain. They are, in chronological order: the death of Queen Victoria, the (first day of the) Battle of the Somme, the General Strike, the launch of the BBC, the Windrush docking, the ascent of Everest, the World Cup that the Engerland men’s team won, the Sex Pistols play Manchester, Live Aid and finally, Labour’s 1997 win that ended 18 years of destructive Tory rule.

None of these is a particularly controversial choice, at least not for Maconie’s intended readership, but he writes around his subjects, so the chapter on QV1’s death is also about the Suffragettes, he writes a good three and a half pages on Accrington “Who are they?” Stanley in the chapter on WW1, he talks a lot about fell walking and mountaineering in the 1950s section and the Sex Pistols clash (quite literally) with the Queen's Jubilee in 1977.

He also visits the locations (not Everest) where these events took places, which seems unnecessary, but it’s all tax-deductible, and completes a trilogy with his other travelogue books about the north and the middle of England. Although I could probably have done without everything Mr Maconie ate for lunch on his travels - without all the deciding between a tea cake and a crumpet, we could have saved ourselves about 100 pages.

[Andrew Foxley · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are few writers who can blend highly entertaining and engaging travelogue with insightful historical detail like Stuart Maconie, and this book gives him the great opportunity of exploring some of the places and events that helped shape Britain in the 20th century - one for each decade, from the death of Queen Victoria and the rise of the suffragettes to Tony Blair's election victory and the birth of a new politics, via the birth of television, the arrival of the Empire Windrush and the 1966 World Cup among others. Each of these events is a jumping off point to talk about different aspects of British cultural life across the century, and where their impact is still being felt now.

At times, it can fall a little awkwardly between being a travelogue and a history, and if you come to this expecting one or the other, you may find yourself a little disappointed. The travelogue is not a bad hook to explore the history though (and vice versa, for that matter), and at times takes the book into very unexpected territory - the chapter about the birth of television ends up with a tour of 'Last of the Summer Wine' country, for instance. And of course, Maconie writes very entertainingly, so there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had here. I certainly learned a few things, and came away with plenty to think about.

[Snarhooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the earlier chapters of this book more than the latter, which I was a little bored by. I felt there was more to learn from the chapters set earlier in history, or rather the information they contained was of more interest and importance to me than mention of Bob Geldof or an anecdote about what George Bush are while at a pub with Tony Blair.

I also felt that I was not the intended reader of this book. The author assumes that, apart from a few exceptions, everyone will have been on strike. I think that was the only time anything was explicitly stated that alienated me but there did seem to be a general assumption that anyone reading this book will view the world the same way the author does.

It's a pleasant enough listen but I can't say I come away from it with any new information I am bursting to mention to others, my usual reaction to a really good non-fiction book.

[Darryl Bortolot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting premise. Maconie selects one day per decade which he feels helped shape modern Britain. Some are a bit of a surprise, but Maconie’s focus is on the social fabric of Britain, not necessarily the political. He also selects locations central to that event and visits them now, looking for what the legacy of that event means for that area. It’s not meant to be a rigorous history, so there are some errors, and Maconie isn’t afraid to put his biases up front - he’s a left-wing, Northern ex-punk who’s an avid walker and has a distinct dislike of men in track suits. It’s an entertaining walk through a series of events and locals which one may not have considered as being nation shaping.

[Vermillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Stuart Maconie's radio presenting style and his wit translates perfectly to the printed page. His honest, genuine warmth, wit and experience is present in every page. There's a little light political opinion in there but it's subtle, and not too brow beating. There's just enough history, little known facts, humour and travel writing to satisfy the reader. I would definitely read any of his other books and shall do so at the earliest possible opportunity.

[Sarah Keig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed this nostalgic trip down memory lane as well as learning more about events that I had heard of but didn’t know too much about. Having travelled around a lot of the UK I enjoyed Maconie’s views on places that I’ve also visited (although I don’t necessarily agree with them). It also makes me want to get out and visit some of the places that I haven’t been to, which are in the book.

[Mrs Reddy Mallender-Katzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

~I really enjoyed the first half of this book as a gentle easy read, (and even took notes to look up on the internet) until i got to chapter five which compleatly bored me and i couldnt quite get back into it from then on, i will say i purposefully missed three chapters as they didnt do anything for me but the rest was lovely