Typetour of Typographic London

The tour starts at the St Bride Institute, home to the worlds’ foremost library for printing and the graphic arts, and St Bride’s Church, the burial place of Wynkyn de Worde and the traditional place of worship for London’s printers and journalists. The walk takes in many fascinating stops including Salisbury Court, the site of Samuel Richardson’s printing works and the residence of Samuel Pepys, diarist and social commentator; Bolt Court, home to Dr Johnson, author or the first English dictionary; Carter Lane, where London’s only example of ‘Sgrafitto’ can be seen; and Postman’s Park, a lesser-known corner of the capital, where there is an inscribed memorial to the strange, but heroic actions of a young compositor. The tour also encompasses some remarkable architecture in both ancient and modern including the 12th century Prior Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, where Benjamin Franklin worked as a printer in 1725 at a printing press run by Samuel Palmer and the 20th century glass and steel Daily Express building in Fleet Street. In addition to the historical sites, the tour also takes in Austin Friars Square and some beautiful contemporary street lettering by Richard Kindersley.

Tours cost £10.00 per person, £1 of which will be donated to the Friends of St Bride Library.

All walks commence at the St Bride Library and last approximately 2 hours.

Your guide

John Voller is a one time resident of London and ex-compositor. For many years a certified City of London Guide, John has recently qualified as an official St Paul’s Cathedral guide where he will be specialising in tours of typographic St Paul’s.