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Several months ago I was invited to an event at the St. Bride Foundation in London. Situated behind St. Bride Church at the bottom of Fleet Street this foundation was established in 1891 to provide a social, cultural and recreational centre for London’s Fleet Street and its enlarging print and publishing trade.

Although the Printing School moved to south of the River Thames many years ago much of the original equipment remains on site and is now used for demonstration purposes.

Amongst the old presses was an Original Heidelberg 10×15″ Letterpress Platen printing press. It was interesting to note that this trusty workhorse of the printing industry is now residing in a museum whereas ours is in pretty much daily use!

Capable of multicolour work, die-cutting and hot foil blocking these simple yet powerful presses had the nickname ‘windmill’ due to their paper feed system using two rotating arms. Maximum speed of 5,000 impressions per hour had these presses producing stationery and leaflets for over fifty years.

Sometimes today only the Heidelberg Windmill is the only press for the job!

Our Original Heidelberg 10×15″ Platen, Letterpress Printing Press…

Letterpress Stationery — Multi coloured stationery printed on our Original Heidelberg platen

The Stationers’ Company says…

600 years ago most craftsmen in London were itinerant. However the manuscript writers and illuminators decided to concentrate their efforts and set up stalls or ‘stations’ around St Paul’s Cathedral. Because of this they were given the nickname ‘Stationers’ and this was the obvious choice of name for the guild they established in 1403 and for its home, Stationers’ Hall, which remains within a stone’s throw of the Cathedral in Ave Maria Lane.

When printing came to England in the late 15th century, the Stationers had the good sense to embrace it and we have continued to adapt to the many changes in the Communications and Content industries ever since. The technology may have changed from pen and inks to print and on-line links but the name has always remained the same!

The Stationers’ Company stands out among the older Livery Companies in that by far the vast majority of the members are involved with the modern Communications and Content industries descended from the original trades which formed the guild in 1403.

The Communications and Content industries contribute over 6% of the UK’s GDP. As such they represent a vital part of the UK’s economy, matching the contribution of the Financial Services sector.

The Original Heidelberg Press

Brief history of the ‘Stationers’