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Bookbinding and Restoration

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Wellingborough
Bookbinding and Restoration

Workshops are held in Cumbria, in fact if you have a Venue and enough people or on a one on one basis? then let me know as I am a mobile unit.

Bookbinding workshops are generally held at adult education colleges around Britain and are residential. Not only are you in a beautiful setting in comfortable rooms and are fed well you can learn a craft as well. There is free time in the afternoons so that you can explore the area. Workshops are open to all so you do not have to have previous experience. I hold 'Beginners' courses as well as 'Book Restoration' and every year we try an 'Historical' book structure sometimes involving wood and Leather. To find out more take a look at the 'Higham Hall' & 'Knuston Hall' websites. Additionally if you have a location and enough people (7) I can come to you and I will also consider private tuition. Finally if you happen to be an independent Conservator with a studio and need some help then please contact me at [email protected] Looking forward to meeting you all

18/10/2026

So just for fun I made an Islamic, Mamluk binding as I may teach it next year. I used 170gsm cartridge paper, insetted and folded into 8 sections. I added suede affect doublures hooked on and the book was sewn in coptic style chainstitch (double threaded). I then sewed two primary endbands with secondary silk two colour chevron sewing on flat leather cores. The cover boards were 2mm greyboard and the fore-edge strip and envelope flap were 1mm phaseboard. The leather was brown goatskin from Harmatan and Oakridge leathers and forwarded in two separate parts and later joined on the spine. While the two halves were still damp I embossed a central motif by putting them under pressure in a press. All the blind tooling and gold work were done after the book was covered with heated tools. Mamluks were a slave army used by many leaders in wars including getting rid of the crusades.

05/10/2026

My last workshop for this year at Higham Hall, Cumbria went brilliantly and everyone went home with two completed book styles, a leather yapp edge re-bind and a decorative board coptic binding model. We even had time to make extra books or practice knife sharpening and paring. Huge thanks to all the staff at Higham too for looking after us and feeding us.

01/10/2026

I’m back at Higham Hall in the beautiful Lake District for the final time for this year and looking forward to meeting my 8 lovely crafters who will be making or should I say re-covering their Bibles in the Yapp Edge style in goatskin leather from Harmatan and Oakridge.

29/09/2026

3 different book structures happening today as I had 3 beginners, 1 on their third week and 2 regulars at my bookbinding workshops at Frogmore paper mill. 3 making a casebook, 1 on a K118 binding and two beginning a Library style. Huge thanks to volunteer Brian (who has been binding for years at Frogmore and volunteers on other jobs there) as he took on the beginners for me so that I could concentrate on the regulars projects. A good day but we still need more regulars so that these workshops can continue for a long while.

15/09/2026

Weekly bookbinding workshop’s have begun again at the Frogmore paper mill, Hemel Hempstead today and every Tuesday for the next 3 months. We had 4 beginners, 1 no-show and 2 with experience who have begun a K118 binding and will complete it next week. A good day and enjoyable to teach.

15/07/2026

Enjoying my week of teaching at Higham Hall, Cumbria. Sunday last to Wednesday we made a quarter Leather Binding model, we even had time to sharpen knives and do some simple gold foil tooling at the end. I am now into my second course this time with eight lovely crafters who are beginners which will run to Friday lunchtime. Tomorrow we start with a hard-case pamphlet binding then on to a 6 section case binding. The weather here in the Lakes is gloriously sunny and 24 degrees.

20/06/2026

A trip down to London Friday to see and catch up with British Library work friends old and new but more so with Zoe & Heather who are leaving the BL for new steps or new pastures. So many X-employees came so loved seeing them all after these many years since I retired. Trains out of St Pancras were cancelled so I went to Euston and made my way home to Northamptonshire but it didn't spoil the day. Love you guys, allways will.

18/06/2026

A huge thanks to Helen (hand made books) who hosted my book restoration taster day yesterday at her studio in Comberton, Cambridgeshire. We had six lovely crafters who managed to complete one project each (some even two projects). I was kept very busy so I forgot to take photos. As always Helen kept us all going with hot drinks, cake and chocolate.

11/06/2026

My very first miniature Birthday book repair. possibly 1906. A challenge as several pages had been repaired with Sellotape. Most of it came off easily dry, new adhesive tape came off when I wet-lined some pages with J*p and wheat starch paste which I was pleasantly surprised about as the heat method earlier did not work.
Still learning after 50yrs at it.

17/05/2026

Have just set up the studio at Higham Hall, Cumbria for 5 days Bookbinding and Restoration. I can't believe it's my 25th year of teaching here. Looking forward to meeting everyone in the bar later.

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Wellingborough

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07799022424

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