This splendid map of country bus routes embodies the iconic pictorial style that designer Macdonald Gill perfected in his career creating illustrated maps for London transport. Like his famous ‘Wonderground’ map of the London Tube stations, this bus map uses Gill’s ‘Medieval Modernism’ motifs and was commissioned to inspire Londoners to use the city’s transit systems.

In the Country Bus Services Map, London is depicted as an impossibly dense walled medieval city, complete with towers and adorned with flags. It acts as a hub from which a myriad of towns, villages, and historical sites develop, populating the countryside. These sites, labelled with notes, recommendations, and witticisms, enhance the charm and energy of the map's colourful design. All of these attractions are linked by a spiderweb of bus routes, promoting access to the city suburbs via the Green Lines. Gill’s vision builds upon the habit of well-to-do London residents, who would escape the city’s noise and pollution to a country retreat or beachside destination. This map offers that grand lifestyle to the more middle-class Londoner by way of the bus, offering a balance of domestic country leisure to their jobs in the city.

The towns and points of interest are meticulously labelled with small scrolls to enhance the interest of visiting each area. For example, the town of Denham is accompanied by a banner that reads, ‘There is here an interesting church: one of the most beautiful villages in England.’ Another at Stanmore reads, ‘Stanmore Common affords a good view around.’ Gill also incorporates his family into his illustrations for the map. In the bottom right corner, he is participating in a game of cricket with his children, brother, mother, and others.

A long, stylised border stretches along each edge of the map, reading, ‘Far flung are our bus routes, they here are displayed. They mean nought to you! We are not dismayed. There are thousands of citizens who love the fresh air. Hundreds not misers will pay debonair. But they must remember to clear their waste paper. Dry bottles and what not at the end of their caper. So there!’

Printed colour. [Framed] [LDN5917]