Research Notes


Map Group GALL & INGLIS 1900s
Gall & Inglis 1900s
Gradient diagrams, horizontal scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, and itineraries for roads in Hampshire by Gall and Inglis, published in The Royal Road Book of England, London and Edinburgh, early 20th century.
The book is in a private collection.

There is a general map of England and Wales, scale about 35 miles to 1 inch which folds out at the back; this is an index map to the route descriptions which are keyed by number.The sheet is 28x33.5cm, the map 267x314mm. The map has an interesting grid related to lighting up times tabulated in the preface.
THE ROYAL ROAD BOOK
GENERAL MAP FEATURES
ITINERARIES
ROUTES in Hampshire
ITEMS in the Collection
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THE ROYAL ROAD BOOK
The cover is printed in black on an ochre yellow cover. The cover has decorative artwork; the arms of England, three lions, surmounted by a crown, and a fragment of a road scene in woodland with two cyclists.
PRICE 2/- NETT. / THE MAIN-ROUTE / CONTOUR ROAD BOOK / (THE ROYAL ROAD BOOK) / OF / ENGLAND / WITH 300 CONTOUR PLANS / GALL & INGLIS, LONDON & EDINBURGH
The book size is wxh=16x9cm. This is one of a whole series of contour road books.
The title page reads:-
Index and Map, at end. / THE / 'ROYAL' ROAD BOOK OF ENGLAND / A Guide to the Main Routes throughout the Country, / With 300 Contour Plans. / Abridged from the 'Contour' Road Book / GALL & INGLIS, / 31 HENRIETTA STREET, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.: AND EDINBURGH. / (Copyright.)
NB: The book has itineraries with gradient diagrams (which are elevation drawings not plans as suggested by the wordings on the cover and title page).
references    :: Main Route Contour Road Book of England & Royal Road Book of England: Gall and Inglis (London and Edinburgh)
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GENERAL MAP FEATURES
NB these notes are concentrated on Hampshire, ignoring most of the rest of the map.
title    
Printed upper right is:-
ENGLAND / AND / WALES.

scale line    
There is a scale line of
British Miles
50 miles = 38.2mm is a scale 1 to 2106471, the map scale is about:-
1 to 2100000
33 miles to 1 inch

table of symbols    
Printed upper right is:-
The Numbers in Red refer to the Routes.
Superior main Routes [double red line]
Ordinary Main Routes [single red line]
The map is printed black on white with yellow filling the land area. Roads and numbers are in red.

index grid    
At the upper right there is a printed explanation of the grid printed on the map, which is not latitude and longitude, though it must be closely related. The:-
Black Lines refer to the Lamplighting Tables.
Find the Town or District required on the Map, and add or deduct the number of minutes from Column A to I given in the Lamplighting Tables at the beginning of the book, on the date required.
Example: Coventry is in Column 6F, therefore add 6 minutes to Column F on all dates.
A label at the bottom states:-
MINUTES TO BE ADDED TO COLUMNS A-I.
and to the east of the meridian, '... subtracted ...' The columns are numbered 0, 2, 4, 6 either way from the Greenwich meridian; rows are labelled from A in the north to I in the south. Hampshire lies in H..I, 2..8. The:-
LAMPLIGHTING TABLES. For the Different Districts, to be used along with the Map at the end of the volume. are near the front of the booklet. The entries are include under H:-
[Nov] 26 ... ... 4.52 ...
So for Winchester, in row H, column 4-6, lighting up time on 28 November would be between 4.56 and 4.58.
Our sophistication with road use, and the need for vehicle lights, has increased to a level where good sense tends to prevail nowadays, without the need to consult published tables.

sea area    
sea plain    
The sea is plain with some sea areas labelled, eg:-
NORTH SEA
Straits of Dover
and off Hampshire:-
Solent
Spithead
Southampton Water

coast line    
headlands    
harbours    
The coast line is a plain line.
Some headlands are labelled, eg:-
St. Albans Head
Selsea Bill
A few harbours are noticed, eg:-
Poole Harbour

rivers    
Major rivers are drawn by a wiggly line, and might be labelled, eg:-
R. Avon
R. Test
Hampshire has the Avon, Test, Itchen, Wey, Loddon, Blackwater, and Enborne (?).

relief    
hill hachuring    
Some relief is drawn by hill hachuring. In Hampshire, the southern scarp of the South Downs is shown north of Havant, and the northern edge of the North Hampshire Hills are shown south of Basingstoke.

county    
County boundaries are doted lines. The county name is written in the area in block caps, eg:-
HAMPSHIRE

settlements    
Settlements are positioned by a circle; slightly larger for the more important towns (and a large shaded circle for London). This general map does not show many places!
capital city     labelled in block caps:-
LONDON
city    
town     		larger towns labelled in upright lowercase, eg:-
Winchester
Southampton
smaller towns labelled in italic lowercase, eg:-
Andover
Alton

roads     This is a road book, and roads are the main feature of the general map. The map is an index to the itineraries in the book. The major routes are shown by a double red line, minor route by a single red line. Each route is labelled with the number of the itinerary in the book.
NB the numbering of the general map is not entirely in agreement with the itineraries. For instance route 17 on the map is itinerary 12; itinerary 17 is missing from the map.

Route diagram:-

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ITINERARIES
The preface says:-
This volume contains 'Contour' plans of the leading main routes through the country, and will be found to cover the roads between the chief towns and the leading Tourist centres.
...
The most important road is probably Route 37, the Great North Road (A1, Ministry of Transport numbering) ... Next in importance is ... For Exeter, Torquay, and Plymouth, either by Taunton, ... or by Route 23 to Salisbury (A30).
...
There are four districts in England which are largely resorted to on account of their fine picturesque scenery, viz: Wales, Devon, Cornwall, the Lake District, and Derbyshire. These are what might be called the 'Tourist' districts. Adjoining these are the counties which have in lesser degree the same attraction, viz: Hants, Dorset, ... Finally there are the districts to be avoided ... ... The other parts ... are typical English scenery of undulating, richly-cultivated country, with orchards and fine trees. ...


The symbols used on the gradient diagrams are described at the beginning of the book:-
EXPLANATIONS.
The line bordering the shaded portion of the Plan is a facsimile of the profile of the Route, and is divided by vertical lines into miles, and by horizontal lines into contours of 100 feet, so that distances and heights are ascertained quickly.
The blocks show the positions of the villages and houses, while the signs are raod directions:- < Road Fork, forward journey, > ditto reverse, + Cross Roads, [upside down T] Road Junction, [upside down U] Bridge, T indicates a sharp turn. The directions R (right) and L (left) for the forward journey are above the Road Line, those of the reverse, below.
The vertical scale has necessarily been enlarged out of strict proportion, as otherwise the ordinary Gradients would almost have been imperceptible.
Measurements. - The tabular form gives the distance from any one point to another, the number below the one name and opposite the other being the distance required. For clearness the furlongs have been out in the tables as 1/8ths. Places named in brackets are off the road.


gradient diagrams    
road distances    
descriptive text    
table of distances    
The body of the road book illustrates each route with a gradient diagram, briefly comments on the route in descriptive text, and gives a triangular distance table for the main way points. The gradient diagram is an elevation (not a plan) drawing; a graph with road distances horizonattly having divided at 1 mile intervals, labelled every 5 miles, and altitude vertically divided at 100 feet intervals, labelled at 500 foot intervals; sea level is labelled at the bottom. The line of the road is plotted on the graph, the area below shaded.

settlements    
Settlements are marked on the gradient diagrams by small blocks, and labelled.
capital city     labelled in upright san serif block caps:-
LONDON
town     very large towns labelled in italic sans serif block caps, eg:-
SOUTHAMPTON
large towns labelled in italic serifed block caps, eg:-
WINCHESTER
ANDOVER
ALTON
smaller towns labelled in italic serifed lowercase, eg:-
Whitchurch
village     labelled as small towns or slightly smaller text.

way points    
bridges    
inns    
road junctions    
A variety of other way points are labelled in the lowercase italic small text. For example, the route of the Lands End road includes:-
... Bagshot, Golden Farmer, Blackwater, Hartford Bri, Hartley Row, Phoenix Green, Crooked Billet, Hook, Nately Scures, Hatch Inn, BASINGSTOKE, Worting, Newfound, Oakley Station, Deane, Ashe, Overton, Laverstoke, Freefolk, Whitchurch, Hurstbourne Priors, Andover Down, Little Ann, Down Farm, Middle Wallop, Tack, Lobscombe Corner, ...
There are tiny symbols for junctions, etc, which are explained at the beginning of the road book.

descriptive text    
Each itinerary has a brief descriptive text about the journey. For example, the Lands End road across Hampshire, has:-
... then across the open heath to Basingstoke. Thereafter the road becomes hilly with a very sharp hill at Hurstbourne Priors (62m.). After Andover the surface is apt to be loose on the Downs.
The descriptive text may offer alternative routes, which may or may not be plotted on the gradient diagram, and may or may not be in the distance table. For example the text for route 24 includes:-
... There is another route by Romsey, but it is longer and more hilly.
And route 19 has:-
... Lymington is 8 3/4m. south of Lymington.

table of distances    
The itinerary has a triangular tabe of distances of the main way points. For example, the Lands End road across Hampshire has:-

    London.              
    9 7/8 Brentford.            
    19 3/8 9 1/2 Staines.          
    29 1/8 19 1/4 9 3/4 Bagshot.        
    48 1/2 38 5/8 29 1/8 19 3/8 Basingstoke.      
    60 1/8 50 1/4 40 3/4 31 11 5/8 Whitchurch.    
    66 7/8 56 47 1/2 37 3/4 18 3/8 6 3/4 Andover.  
    84 1/2 74 5/8 65 1/8 55 3/8 36 24 3/8 17 5/8 Salisbury.
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ROUTES in Hampshire are:-

route 12    
Shown on the general map as minor routes 12 and 17.
Title:-
BRIGHTON - WORTHING - CHICHESTER - (PORTSMOUTH) - SOUTHAMPTON.
from Brighton, East Sussex; to Chichester, West Sussex;
AND
from Southampton to Titchfield, Fareham, Cosham, and Havant, Hampshire; then to Chichester, West Sussex.

route 18    
On the general map as major route 18.
Title:-
LONDON TO GUILDFORD AND PORTSMOUTH.
from London; to Kingston on Thames, Guildford and Godalming, Surrey; then Liphook, Petersfield, Horndean, and Cosham, to Portsmouth, and on to Southsea, Hampshire.

route 19    
On the general map as major route 19.
Title:-
SOUTHAMPTON TO BOURNEMOUTH AND POOLE.
from Southampton to Lyndhurst, Hampshire; then Christchurch and Bournemouth, to Poole, Dorset. The genral map shows a branch to Lymington which is mentioned in the itinerary description.

route 20    
On the general map as minor route 20.
Title:-
SOUTHAMPTON TO LYMINGTON AND CHRISTCHURCH
from Southampton, across the Hythe Ferry, to Lymington, Hampshire; then to Christchurch, Dorset.

route 21    
On the general map as major route 21.
Title:-
LONDON TO WINCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON
from London; to Kingston on Thames, Guildford and Farnham, Surrey; then Alton, New Alresford, Winchester, to Southampton, Hampshire.

route 22    
On the general map as route 22; a minor route to Romsey, then a major route.
Title:-
WINCHESTER TO THE NEW FOREST AND POOLE.
from Winchester, to Romsey and Ringwood, Hampshire; then to Poole, Dorset.

route 23    
On the general map as major route 23; continued from Salisbury to Lands End.
Title:-
LONDON TO BASINGSTOKE AND SALISBURY.
from London; to Staines, Middlesex; then Bagshot, Surrey; to Blackwater, Hartford Bridge, Basingstoke, Overton, Whitchurch and Andover, and through Middle Wallop, Hampshire; then to Salisbury, Wiltshire.

route 24    
Misnumbered on the general map as minor route 25.
Title:-
SOUTHAMPTON TO SALISBURY.
from Southampton to Romsey, Hampshire; then to Salisbury, Wiltshire.

route 25    
On the general map as minor route 25.
Title:-
SALISBURY TO CHRISTCHURCH.
from Salisbury to Downton, Wiltshire; then Fordingbridge and Ringwood, Hampshire; to Christchurch, Dorset.

route 55    
On general map as minor route 55 to Winchester then a major route.
Title:-
OXFORD TO SOUTHAMPTON.
from Oxford, Oxfordshire; to Newbury, Berkshire, then Whitchurch, Winchester, to Southampton, Hampshire.

route 57    
On the general map as minor route 57.
Title:-
OXFORD TO READING.
from Oxford, Oxfordshire; to Reading, Berkshire; and on to Basingstoke, Hampshire.

route 226    
On the general map as minor route 226.
Title:-
DORCHESTER TO RINGWOOD (FOR LONDON).
from Dorchester, through Wimbourne, Dorset; to Ringwood, Hampshire.

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ITEMS  in HMCMS Map Collection and Private Collections   (scanned item in bold)
  private collection (6) -- road book
  private collection (6_12) -- contour diagram (route 12)
  private collection (6_18) -- contour diagram (route 18)
  private collection (6_19) -- contour diagram (route 19)
  private collection (6_20) -- contour diagram (route 20)
  private collection (6_21) -- contour diagram (route 21)
  private collection (6_22) -- contour diagram (route 22)
  private collection (6_23) -- contour diagram (route 23)
  private collection (6_24) -- contour diagram (route 24)
  private collection (6_25) -- contour diagram (route 25)
  private collection (6_32) -- contour diagram (route 32)
  private collection (6_55) -- contour diagram (route 55)
  private collection (6_57) -- contour diagram (route 57)
  private collection (6_226) -- contour diagram (route 226)
  private collection (6_EW) -- road map
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   All Old Hampshire Mapped Resources