Complex sentence: In 1959 Ernest Marples had given the go-ahead for Britain's first motorway, the M1 which initially ran from London to Nottingham and followed closely the London to Nottingham railway line.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1959 Ernest Marples had given the go-ahead for the first inter-city British motorway, the M1. This initially ran from London to Nottingham, closely following the London to Nottingham railway line.