Placename abbreviations on British roads

In Great Britain (and perhaps Ireland too), road directions are often written on the road. When it points to a place, this is often abbreviated. For example, at this location on Google Streetview, there are lanes for L'don (London) and B'stoke (Basingstoke), and here has R'dg (Reading) and W'dly (Woodley). When my attention is already concentrated at a busy roundabout trying to read text which is most of the time obscured by traffic, I find that I'm having to divert yet a bit more attention to deciphering those abbreviations. Preparation would help. Is there an official list of abbreviations used on British roads?

Why I care?

Within 5 minutes of my first ever drive in the UK, I did three loops on this roundabout trying to get on A66W, but the first two times I found myself in the inner lane unable to get out, as this sign tells me to start in the rightmost/innermost lane, but if I stay in the innermost lane then I can't safely exit as by the time I get here the innermost lane has become A66E rather than A66W; essential lane changes within the roundabout are indicated only by writing on the road.