The Winterbourne Press
The Typographic Library
It was through the Centre for Printing History and Culture that Winterbourne became the home of a major collection of books on the history and practice of typography. The collection was created by Caroline Archer-Parré, Co-Director of the Centre and Professor of Typography at Birmingham City University. The Typographic Library was transferred to Winterbourne in April 2023 and is a reference library available to students and researchers. Anyone wishing to visit the library for research should contact Winterbourne and ask to make an appointment through the Curator.
Exhibitions
Contacts generated through the press have led to two major exhibitions at Winterbourne. Middlesex University Professor, Phil Cleaver, who is a typographic designer and artist, discovered the press through a PhD student. He subsequently mounted an exhibition and installation of his artwork at Winterbourne in 2022, entitled ‘Book-Object-Art’. Phil has since curated a further exhibition at Winterbourne. ‘Totally Curious, Ever Inventive’ features the life and work of Berthold and Margaret Wolpe. Both were versatile artists and designers; Berthold created the still-popular Albertus font in the 1930s and designed book jackets for Faber & Faber for thirty years. The exhibition forms a direct link with the Winterbourne Press and has generated excellent feedback from visitors. It was the subject of a press article and blog post by Ruth Millington in January 2024; you can read the article here.
Shop
The Winterbourne Press is run by an expanding team of volunteers. One of their main roles is to print material which contributes to Winterbourne’s income. Hand-printed items which are retailed in the Winterbourne Gift Shop include greetings cards designed by volunteers, branded carrier bags, and bookmarks. These items are printed using a combination of type, historic, and newly-commissioned printing blocks.
