Fine binding
Hand-gilded edges, beautifully grained and polished leathers, silk headbands, hand tooling in gold leaf: the ingredients of a well-bound book.
Fine binding →Shepherds · Sangorski & Sutcliffe · Zaehnsdorf
Hand bookbinding in Victoria, London
Just a few minutes’ walk from Victoria railway station and only a short stroll from Buckingham Palace and Parliament Square, Rochester Row has been home to our hand bookbinding workshop for over twenty-five years.
The workshop incorporates the long established firms of Zaehnsdorf and Sangorski & Sutcliffe.
- Zaehnsdorf
- 1842
- founded
- Sangorski & Sutcliffe
- 1901
- established
- Rochester Row
- 1998
- Shepherds opens
The Bindery
Many facets of a hand bindery
Our bindery employs craftsmen with a broad range of traditional and modern skills: paper conservation, hand-sewn pages, gilt edges, fine leather covers and gold finishing.
Design bindings
For over a hundred years Sangorski & Sutcliffe has been rebinding important works of literature and other fine books in one-off ‘Design Bindings’.
Design bindings →
Conservation & restoration
Since 1988 our Conservation Department has served the archive and book collecting community: paper repair, cloth and leather restoration, rebacks and full rebinds.
Conservation →
Boxes & slipcases
Drop-back boxes, decorative boxes that reflect the book’s contents, leather slipcases and archival storage in standard sizes.
Boxes →Contemporary designs
One-off bindings for books that have lost their covers
We specialise in rebinding books that have lost their original covers but are in otherwise good condition. The combination of modern designs and the finest craftsmanship produces exciting and unique examples of the bookbinder’s craft.
The Coronation Bible 1953 & 2023
A Bible fit for a King
Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe and Zaehnsdorf are proud to have bound the bibles for the coronation of King Charles III on 6 May 2023.
In 1953, in collaboration with Oxford University Press, we bound the bible for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We were delighted to work together again 70 years later to create the bible for His Majesty King Charles III.
Read how it was madeContemporary fine binding
Traditional techniques, modern design
The combination of traditional techniques and modern design concepts is one of the most exciting aspects of contemporary fine binding.
We work closely with our clients to create beautiful bindings that interpret both the contents of the book and reflect our customers’ design tastes.
Bindings and styles
The people
Who works at the bindery
Alison Strachan
Managing Director
Daniel Wray
Director of Conservation & Restoration
John Goss
Head Finisher
Christian Russell
Paper Conservator
Luke Hornus
Book Restorer
Locations
Two premises in Victoria, five minutes’ walk apart
The bindery in Rochester Row and the shop in Gillingham Street are both just behind Victoria Station.
The Bindery
76 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1JU
Monday to Friday by appointment, 10am to 5pm
Get directions →
The Shop
30 Gillingham Street, Victoria, London SW1V 1HU
Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm
Get directions →Enquiries
Talk to the bindery
To enquire about our full range of services, please contact the Managing Director, Alison Strachan, or Daniel Wray, who is in charge of the Conservation & Restoration Department.