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NOTES from JOHNSON'S ROADS MADE EASY, 1907
These notes are taken from a road book of illustrated itineraries, Roads Made Easy by Picture and Pen, vol.1 southern England, by Claude Johnson, published by The Car Illustrated, 168 Piccadilly, London, 1907. The item studied is in a private collection.
map type: HantsMap & Johnson 1907
The book size is: wxh = 13x21cm. Volume 1 in the series is for southern England, routes - London to Bristol and west; to Salisbury, Exeter and Lands End; to Plymouth; Winchester and Weymouth; to Southampton; to Guildford and Portsmouth; to Worthing; to Brighton; to Eastbourne; to Hastings; to Folkestone; to Canterbury and Dover; and some minor routes.
The book has: advertisements on end papers; title page; more adverts; table of symbols; fold out index map, an outline map of southern England showing the routes, each with its route number; preface about the series and its system; contents page listing routes by number; itineraries, each route described and illustrated by photographs with an added arrow to show the driver where to go, outward and return journeys; and more adverts at the end.

Cover & Title Page
The cover is printed black on blue, with a location map:-
VOL. 1 With 174 Illustrations. ROADS MADE EASY By Picture and Pen. Compiled by CLAUDE JOHNSON. Edited by LORD MONTAGU.
LONDON: THE CAR ILLUSTRATED, LTD., 168, PICCADILLY, W.
Lord Montagu was founder and editor of the magazine, The Car Illustrated. An advertisement reads:-
'THE CAR' Founded and Edited by LORD MONTAGU.
WHAT IT IS! A Weekly Pictorial Record of the World's Automobilism and Travel.
WHAT IT DOES!! Records and Illustrates all the latest Motoring News, the latest Types of Cars, the latest Improvements, and the most interesting places to visit.
WHAT IT WILL DO!!! 'The Car's' PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT will supply Motor Publications of all kinds and Motor Maps and Guides of all Countries. 'The Car's' INFORMATION BUREAU will give complete information upon every conceivable question relating to Motoring, Choice of Car, Disposal of Car, Drivers, Tours, &c. 'The Car's' INSURANCE DEPARTMENT will Insure a Car against all risks anywhere, and will include Free Subscription to 'THE CAR' where the premium is not less than L7 7s. (See advt. page at end.)
Price 6d. Weekly. ... Offices 168, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W. ...
The title page reads:-
ROADS MADE EASY BY PICTURE AND PEN COMPILED BY CLAUDE JOHNSON EDITED BY LORD MONTAGU VOL.1
LONDON: THE CAR ILLUSTRATED, LTD., 168, PICCADILLY. 1907.

Table of Symbols
table of symbols    
There is a page of:-
ABBREVIATIONS.
[large bold R] = Right.
[large bold L] = Left.
[large bold S O] = Straight on.
which are used in the itinerary text. And more symbols which are used in the left margin of sections of text and supplement the text:-
F.T.W. [drawing of poles and wires] = Follow the Telegraph Wires.
[large V, right arm bold] = At fork take Right.
[large V, left arm bold] = At fork take Left.
[bold upright line, light cross line] = At Cross Roads, keep Straight on.
[light upright, bold cross line to right at head] = Turn Right.
[light upright, bold cross line to left at head] = Turn Left.

Index Map
facing the preface is a fold out index map of the routes in the south of England. All this shows, on an outline of the country, are the routes described with a limited number of place names; each route has a number referring to the its outward and return itineraries.

Preface
The preface describes the 'system' used for the itineraries.
PREFACE.
There are many excellent guide and road books already in existence, but few of these have been issued since touring in motor-cars has become general, and therefore they often lack the special points which are useful in a new form of travelling. In fact new methods of road travel demand a new system of road indication. The pedestrian and cyclist often welcome a stop for a moment or two at a point where two roads meet, not only in order to leisurely consult their route book but to rest awhile. Many of the route directions in existing road books, such as instructions to 'turn to the right of St. Mary's Church,' essentially require that the traveller should make enquiries locally as to the existence or situation of the landmarks which are to be his guide. The motorist nearly always resents delay. When faced by two roads he sometimes, indeed, prefers to take one at random rather than stop his career even for the brief moment necessary to carefully examine a direction-post or make an enquiry. I do not say that such haste and hurry is in any way admirable, but it must be reckoned with in the guide books of the future.
'The Road Made Easy with Picture and Pen' is intended to enable the motorist to find his way over the great majority of the main roads of England and Wales without the necessity of reading direction-boards in detail or making enquiries which are often half heard or wholly misunderstood.
In the system suggested and here carried into effect by Mr. Claude Johnson, endeavour is made to inform the motorist as to the roads before him in clear and unmistakeable language, and, by means of a graphic description of landmarks, assisted in many cases by actual photographs, to pre-inform him of exactly what he has to do when he arrives at the end of any particular section of road.
In the first edition of an ambitious work of this kind mistakes may be discovered which are unavoidable in any first attempt dealing with a complicated mass of details, and it is hoped that motorists who make use of the book and who discover any errors will kindly communicate with the Editor for the benefit of the motoring community at large.
It should be noted that no distinction is made between telegraph and telephone wires.
It must not be thought that, because here and there cautions are given concerning particular dangerous portions of the road, any attempt has been made to inform the user of this book of all the points which are dangerous.
...
Signed 'M' for Montagu.

Contents Page
The routes are listed in numerical order, described with key place names in bold, and referred to a page number for the outward itinerary, and the page number for the return itinerary.
The route relevant to Hampshire are:-
CONTENTS.
Route 1. -- London via Staines, Basingstoke, Andover, Salisbury, Yeovil, Exeter, Okehampton, Launceston, Truro, Penzance to Land's End - - [page] 1
Reverse of Route 1. - - 19
...
Route 4. -- London via Andover, Warminster, Frome, Glastonbury to Bridgwater - - 43
Reverse of Route 4 - - 48
Route 5. -- London via Kingston, Guildford, Godalming, Hindhead, Petersfield to Portsmouth and Southsea - - 53
Reverse of Route 5 - - 58
Route 6. -- London via Guildford, Hog's Back, Farnham, Alton, Alresford to Winchester - - 63
Reverse of Route 6 - - 65
Route 7. -- London via Basingstoke, Winchester to Southampton - - 68
Reverse of Route 7 - - 70
Route 8. -- London via Winchester, Romsey to Cadnam Corner - - 72
Reverse of Route 8 - - 74
Route 9. -- London via Cadnam Corner, Lyndhurst, Christchurch to Bournemouth - - 76
Reverse of Route 9 - - 77
Route 10. -- London via Cadnam Corner, Ringwood, Christchurch to Bournemouth - - 79
Reverse of Route 10 - - 82
Route 11. -- London via Ringwood, Wimborne, Wareham to Weymouth - - 84
Reverse of Route 11 - - 86
...
...
Route 25. -- London via Winchester and Beaulieu to Lymington - - 177
Reverse of Route 25 - - 179
Route 26. -- London via Lyndhurst to Lymington - - 181
Reverse of Route 26 - - 182
Route 27. -- London via Winchester, Redbridge, Totton to Lyndhurst - - 183
Reverse of Route 27 - - 185

Claude Johnson's System
Claude Johnson's system provides itineraries that are described in practical words, look out for this, turn here, etc, aided by photographs of difficult points which have arrows drawn on them to show the driver which way to go. For example a journey segment see:-
The system uses various landmarks consistently:-
inns    
For example the Jolly Farmers outside Bagshot in the London to Lands End road.

telegraph wires    
Usually an instruction to:-
follow the telegraph wires
finger posts    
and other signs.

buildings    
Examples:-
... and, in front, a building with three arches
fork ... small cottage, with red-tiled roof, and pillar-box in wall stands ...
railways    
Example:-
... pass under railway bridge ...
shops    
Example:-
... a shop marked, 'Library, H. J. KNOWLES.'
Many of the inns will still there today, nearly a century later, as might some other buildings. Other landmarks are more likely to have changed. Telegraph wires will have multiplied soon after publication. Tram lines are gone. Railways have reduced, though some of their structures will still be visible. Shopkeepers will have long since changed.

Hampshire Routes
The routes which are relevant to Hampshire are listed below using similar journey nodes to those in other route descriptions:-
route 1 - London to Lands End - from London; through Staines, Middlesex; Bagshot and the Jolly Farmers, Surrey; then Blackwater, Hartfordbridge, Basingstoke, Whitchurch, Andover, Andover, Middle Wallop, Hampshire; Lopcomb Corner and Salisbury, Wiltshire; and west to Exeter, Devon; and Lands End, Cornwall.
route 4 - London to Bridgwater - from Andover, Hampshire; through Amesbury, Wiltshire; and west to Bridgwater, Somerset (connects to routes to Exeter, Devon etc; but not continued to Barnstaple, Devon).
route 5 - London to Portsmouth - from London; through Godalming, Surrey; then Liphook, Petersfield, Horndean, Cosham, to Portsmouth, Hampshire.
route 6 - London to Winchester - from Guildford through Farnham, Surrey; then Alton, Alresford, to Winchester, Hampshire.
route 7 - London to Southampton - from Basingstoke, through Popham Lane, Winchester, to Southampton, Hampshire.
route 8 - London to Cadnam Corner - from Winchester, through Romsey, to Cadnam Corner, Hampshire.
route 9 - London to Bournemouth - from Cadnam Corner, through Lyndhurst, Hampshire; then Purwell Corner, Christchurch, to Bournemouth, Dorset. (Poole is ignored.)
route 10 - London to Bournemouth - from Cadnam Corner, through Ringwood, Hampshire; then Purwell Corner, Dorset (and continue as route 9)
route 11 - London to Weymouth - from Ringwood, Hampshire; then to Weymouth, Dorset.
route 25 - London to Lymington - from near Southampton, through Redbridge, Beaulieu, to Lymington, Hampshire.
route 26 - London to Lymington - from Lyndhurst, to Lymington, Hampshire.
route 27 - London to Lyndhurst - from near Southampton, through Redbridge, to Lyndhurst, Hampshire.
The great routes are still described as a long itineraries from London, or possibly as a branch off a route already described: the Direct and Direct Dependant routes of earlier road books. But as routes get more tangled, for instance beyond Winchester and Southampton in the New Forest, towards Dorset, the itineraries are given for shorter segments (like the journey segments used in Old Hampshire Gazetteer).
I can't help thinking that the route from Redbridge through Beaulieu to Lymington is only included for the editor.
button map type Johnson 1907 -- menu of resources
button Route 1, in Hampshire, and reverse -- JSN1_01.txt
button list of map notes
HantsMap Notes -- JOHNSON1.txt
MN: 12.1.2003
last edit: 14.1.2003