No Fiction
“It is a sort of funny journey. I love this storytelling because it reminds us of how things started.”
Philippa East from Seagull Bindery
How did you become interested in bookbinding, book restoration and heritage conservation?
Philippa. I guess you can trace it back to when I was a kid; I always wanted to go behind the red ropes in castles and other places we visited; I always wanted to go behind the scenes.
My dad was into furniture restoration. I used to find that fascinating, and he had his workshop full of tools; I loved tools.
I bought my first vintage book when I was eight years old in this little shop in Mousehole in Cornwall. My love for history, books and restoration has always been there.
At university in Hertfordshire, I studied English literature and drama. I was always into writing and literature; that was my strength at school. I bluffed my way through my first degree as I was too busy having a good time. So that lead to me working in subediting on newspapers and magazines for around 14 years.
I started as a sub on New of the World and worked my way up to the Sunday Times.
I worked for the BBC for a bit for Girl Talk Magazine, writing features like how to throw the ultimate pamper party for eight-year-olds. I had to write about High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Not the pinnacle of my writing career!
But it sounds like you’ve worked at many high-profile places. Have you ever worked abroad?
Philippa. I lived in Dorset with a boyfriend for a while, working for the local newspaper. We split up, and I was heartbroken and lost for what to do next. I emailed an ex-work colleague who I knew had got a job at the Bangkok Post and said, can you get me a job? He replied, “ Yeah, just turn up in Bangkok and get in touch, and we’ll see what happens.” I didn’t even think about it. Luckily I got that job and ended up working for the Bangkok Post for a couple of years before heading home to England.
How did you move from sub-editing into bookbinding and restoration?
Philippa. By the time I took up bookbinding, I’d settled down with my husband and started having a family. When I was pregnant with my son Sammy, I got the urge to reinvent myself a little bit. I didn’t want to get back into sub-editing. I can’t remember where this came from, but I wanted to learn book restoration. So I got in touch with a book restoration company, who told me I needed to learn bookbinding first.
I got in touch with a well-respected bookbinder called Mark Cockram, who runs a place called Studio 5 in Barnes, London. I did an introductory course, then a couple more courses and ended up going to his studio two days a week for about four years, learning bookbinding. That is how strong my interest was in bookbinding.
Mark talked about book conservation, which I’d never heard of before. It’s basically like restoration, but minimally interventive so as not to interfere with the integrity and authenticity of the book.
Mark was friends with Anne, who worked at the V&A. Anne had been to his studio to learn bookbinding. He put me in touch with her, and I managed to get a day volunteering in the book conservation studio there. I still remember the feeling of excitement on my first day in such an incredible, historic and creative environment.
“For me, volunteering at the V&A was the ultimate behind-the-scenes, like a fantasy come true.”
I remember being so scared when I turned up, but by the time I left, I was walking through that long tunnel at Kensington, towards The Tube. I honestly felt like I was flying; I was just so excited. So I was invited back, still as a volunteer, but they were teaching me book conservation. This was unusual for the V&A, they usually only take on qualified people, but they offered to train me. So for one to two days a week, I was trained by top people in this field, and I was there for six years.
The first job they gave me at the V&A was a handwritten script from circa 1750 for Richard Sheridan’s play The School for Scandal. A scribe had written it, but it had Sheridan’s edits. It was magical to work on such a special object. I imagined him and his scribe sitting in a candlelit room; there were spots of something that could have been mead or wine across the paper.
When we moved to the South East, I started my MA in Preventive Conservation. The degree was based in Newcastle, but via distance learning, which worked well for me while looking after the family. The course content was broad, looking at all of the elements that effect historic buildings and collections. It involved a lot of chemistry and physics, as you have to know how certain materials react to substances and environmental conditions.
As part of the MA, you have to do a work placement. I did mine at a National Trust property called Lamb House in Rye. Lamb House was once the home of writers Henry James and E.F. Benson, and hosted many other famous guests. I enjoyed my experience there; it was fun. I did a bit of preventive conservation and some hands-on conservation. I ultimately hoped to get a job with the National Trust, but everything stopped for so many people and businesses when COVID happened.
With all this knowledge, is that when you decided to set up your own business?
Philippa. At this stage, I started really practising the techniques I’d learned at Studio 5 and set up a business for myself, doing bookbinding and restoration. I also offer preventive conservation and collections management services. I am fortunate to have the use of an outbuilding at my home. My husband had earmarked it for his office, but I quietly moved my press in before he could put up a fight. I have a beautiful vintage press that used to be in the V&A book conservation studio – I picked it up for £20!
Quite a lot of my tools came from a lovely man called Mike Fitzgerald who recently retired having been a bookbinder for about 60 years! He was selling off his entire workshop, so I bought loads of equipment. I bought all these excellent hand tools for making the beautiful patterns in gold leaf or foil that you generally find on older books, or contemporary design bindings.
A fascinating history is connected to those tools and the books that need restoration. I love imagining the journey each book has been on. I prefer conservation; it respects the history of each book. If I receive a book with scribbles or doodles in pencil on the pages, I won’t rub those out. I’ll leave them
in because that is an integral part of its history.
I started Rye Book and Paper Studio in 2020, starting with book restoration. I have had a constant stream of projects to work on. It can take a long time to restore a book. Then I started to make Japanese-style sketchbooks, which were very popular. So I began to work on a specific brand for my books called Seagull Bindery, which I set up in February this year, 2022. That is coming together quite nicely now.
You offer bookbinding workshops; what does that include?
Philippa. We spend a day at my studio; I can do one-to-one or with a couple of friends, a maximum of three people; it’s a pretty small space. I start with an introduction to bookbinding, so you get a general understanding of the processes of artisan binding and how the materials work. Then, you will put together a beautiful case-bound notebook, which you take home at the end of the workshop. I also offer a half-day workshop, where you spend three hours making a much simpler pamphlet-style notebook. These make great gifts, so it would be a great workshop to do in the run up to Christmas.
Recently three friends came to my workshop after being on a paper marbling course at West Dean, where they made their decorative papers and brought them with them to make their personalised notebooks.
It’s an enjoyable day. It’s quite an intimate group in a stunning setting with a fantastic view from the studio. People have booked workshops as a birthday gift for friends – which I think is a really nice idea.
Do you have plans for the future of Seagull Bindery to develop your business?
Philippa. The next step is to make my product unique by designing my own papers. I’m just about to launch my first entirely unique design, which is very exciting! I’ve also recently run a three-day bookbinding workshop in Barbados, which was certainly a very beautiful and interesting setting!
“Since I moved to Rye, my creativity has gone through the roof. I find this a very nourishing environment. I’ve met many people doing exciting things and connected with them; I find it a supportive place. Living here has had a massive impact on me having the confidence to express myself.”
Seagull Bindery
Philippa East - Artisan bookbinder
info@seagullbindery.co.uk
www.seagullbindery.co.uk
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