This a FREE on-line event, but registration is essential. Book HERE.

In conjunction with the Printing Historical Society

Sophie Hawkey-Edwards, Bob Richardson and Mick Clayton. St Bride Library tour

St Bride Library first opened its doors to readers in November 1895 and quickly established itself as one of the world’s most significant collections of books, artefacts and ephemera on printing, typography, paper-making and the graphic arts. We will take you on a whistlestop tour of our labyrinthine Victorian building sharing highlights from our remarkable library and museum collections, exploring our fabulous workshop and learning about the history of our organisation.

Sophie Hawkey-Edwards is the St Bride Foundation Librarian, in which capacity she oversees library and museum collections which include one of the worlds largest and most significant treasuries of type specimens. Sophie also manages the foundation’ s learning programme, encompassing the print workshop and associated fundraising activities.

Previously Library and Learning Manager at Conway Hall Humanist Library, and Creative Team Leader for West Dunbartonshire Council, way back in the mists of time Sophie was a Young People's Librarian and can therefore sing, dance, talk like a pirate and fettle thrilling objects d'art from sticky back plastic and broken forks.

Bob Richardson qualified as an art teacher in 1976 but instead joined BBC Television as an assistant in the graphic design department, retiring in 2012 after thirty-five years’ service. As a fifteen-year-old student he was bitten by the letterpress bug and set up St Margaret’s Press which continues to turn out printed ephemera after half a century of inky operations. Since retirement he has helped to run the library at St Bride Foundation and after a decade behind the enquiry desk is eventually beginning to find his way around.

Mick Clayton has forty years’ experience in the print trade, having been a compositor for the likes of The Daily Mail, The Express, Sporting Life, Daily Mirror and The Times. He began his six year apprenticeship with Blades, East and Blades before working as a journeyman for the likes of Waterlow and Sons Printers and the Mirror Group. He now works and volunteers for St. Bride Library, to pass on his skills, knowledge and fruity anecdotes.

Paul W. Nash. The Norwich Printing Museum

Paul (a Trustee of the Norwich Printing Museum and member of the National Printing Heritage Committee of the PHS) will speak about the history, riches and current situation of the Museum, which was built up over thirty years by Peter Jarrold as the John Jarrold Printing Museum, and now exists as an independent charity. The bulk of the collections are in storage while the Museum seeks a new home, but there is a working outpost of the Museum at Blickling Hall. Paul will show photographs of the collections, and some short video clips of the Museum at work.

Paul W. Nash is an independent researcher, printing-historian, bibliographer, librarian, book-designer and currently editor of the Journal of the Printing Historical Society.