The Continuation of the Road from London to Carlisle

A portion of the linear route from London to Carlisle, according to Ogilby.

While strip-style road maps had existed long before John Ogilby, the Scottish cartographer was the first to popularize their use for land travel through the publication of his atlas Britannia, first issued in 1675. It included 100 maps of British roads, created at a uniform scale of 1 inch to 1 mile.

The large scale allows for the presentation of minute details like individual buildings, brooks and streams, bridges, windmills, ponds, signal beacons and estate halls. Topography is depicted pictorially, with the hills situated according to whether the traveler was descending or ascending. All these details, as well as the compass roses on each strip, would have been of particular relevance to someone traveling by carriage, on horseback, or even by foot.

This particular example carries on the directions from London to Carlisle from a previous sheet. The route begins in the lower left, crossing the River Wyre into the ancient market village of Garstang. It proceeds north through Lancaster, Kendal, and Penrith before arriving in Carlisle in the upper right. As noted on the map, the intrepid traveler would see country homes, Kendal Castle, ‘stone heaps’ (ruins?), and Broome Castle on their journey. Numerous villages dot the road and would have provided food and lodging, albeit perhaps not in the most comfortable of circumstances!