Brockman Bookbinders

Oxford, England

01235 831320
information@brockmanbookbinders.org

Fine Bindings

Projects

Courses

Marbled Paper

Home

Conservation

About Us

Resources

The Brockman Bindery, founded by James Brockman in 1976 and now co-run with his son Stuart, has developed into a highly specialised hand craft bindery working primarily on modern Fine Bindings and the conservation and fine restoration of valuable manuscripts and printed books. The emphasis is always on maintaining the highest possible standards, there is no compromise of quality on any work.

The bindery consists of a small team of highly skilled craftsmen, all dedicated to the sympathetic and appropriate treatment of books. The Bindery uses the very latest techniques, mostly developed in-house, for everything from the attachment of book boards to the flattening of vellum manuscript leaves.

James Brockman
 

James Brockman

Born in Oxford 1946.

James apprenticed as a Finisher for 6 years at Blackwells Bindery in Oxford and then studied under Ivor Robinson for four years. From 1968 -1973 he worked as an assistant to Sydney Cockerell in Cambridge. In 1973 James started the Eddington Bindery for The Lord and Lady Fermoy, and managed it until 1976 when he

Stuart Brockman
 

Born Cambridge, UK, 1972

Stuart graduated with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London before joining the bindery fulltime in 1995.  In 1999 he was elected a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders and then a Fellow in 2004.  Stuart has Modern Fine Bindings in a wide range of private collections

set up his own bindery in Oxford. From 1982 - 1983 he was the University of Wales Arts Fellow at The Gregynog Press and Bindery. From 1985-87 he was the President of Designer Bookbinders and then 2001-05  President of The Society of Bookbinders. In 1999 he was awarded accreditation by The Institute of Paper Conservators. James has written many articles on bookbinding technique and has given numerous lectures and workshops in Britain, Europe, the USA and Australia.  James invented the Concave spine and previous works include two Electronic bindings, commissions for The British Library and The Victoria and Albert Museum and has bindings in private and national collections worldwide.

worldwide and also in The British Library and The National Library of Scotland.  He has completed many commissions from collectors and has exhibited his work at a wide range of venues including the DesignerBookbinders annual exhibition at Flow Gallery, London, ABA bookfairs and the Bodleian Library, Oxford in the UK and at a range of venues in the Europe and the USA including Chicago Public Library, Boston Library and the Grolier Club, New York.  Stuart has given workshops and has lectured in the UK, Canada and Finland.  He has been a speaker at various Society of Bookbinders' conferences, training seminars and regional events in a range of topics including leather covering, gold finishing, onlays, inlays and Designer Bindings.  During 2000 Stuart set up and ran a bindery in Chile, where he has subsequently made visits to work on a private collection.  Stuart organised the Society of Bookbinders International Biennial Competition for eight years up until 2009.  Stuart was a judge at the fourth De Goyler Bookbinding Competition, Bridwell Library, Texas, USA, January 2007.

About Us