Corvus Works
Letterpress: Fine Press Books
Contact
Consett
England
Durham
DH8 0LB
About
Corvus Works is the studio and workshop of Christopher Wakeling, dedicated to the pursuit of the typographic arts – designing, composing, printing and publishing limited edition books and occasional ephemeral work for itself and like-minded others. Its work is typographically-led with a particular interest in related subject areas, such as typography, printing, book arts and poetry. Collaborative work is undertaken with artists, photographers and writers in addition to its own publications.
Corvus Works holds a substantial quantity of rare foundry-cast printing types, primarily from the German type foundry of D.Stempel AG with types from renowned designers Jan Tschichold and Hermann Zapf, together with typefaces designed by Ernst Schneider and cast at the Bauer type foundry. All type composition is undertaken by hand, no machine setting or digital plates are used for typographic work. It is committed to the quality of foundry-cast type free from the restrictions of machine production.
The workshop houses two German-built presses, a 1964 Korrex Hannover test press and a Schelter & Giesecke Phoenix IV heavy art platen press build at Leipzig in around 1903. This large press is one of only a handful known to now exist is working order, and the only one of its kind in the UK.
The printing methodology follows the long-standing tradition of the private and fine presses of the past utilising cotton-based content hand- and mould-made papers, carefully dampened prior to printing. Frequently considered too time consuming today, the practise of damping is followed as Christopher has an unshakable belief that this method requires less ink with a harder impression resulting in crisp printing and less ware on its valuable type. Once printed and dried, the sheets are pressed between boards for several days before binding.
Much of the binding is done in-house – by hand – but does work with a specialist edition binder for some editions.
Christopher is a UK committee member for the Fine Press Book Association and member of the International Society of Typographic Designers and the Oxford Guild of Printers.
Mini craft gallery
Printing a book exploring the work of Renaissance Italian writing master, Giovanbattista Palatino
MADE BY CORVUS WORKS
‘Passing Through’ printing for a collaborative project with writer Barbara Murray and photographer Paco Valera
MADE BY CORVUS WORKS
‘Duncan Glen: poet, publisher, typographer & educator’. A collaborative project with Alfons Bytautas RSA. Edition of poems, writings and artworks.
MADE BY CORVUS WORKS
Paul Valréy classic poem ‘Le Ciemetiére Marin’ in parallel French and English with screen prints by Alfons Bytautas RAS
MADE BY CORVUS WORKS
‘Certain of Ovid’s Elegies’ collaborative project with Christopher Marlowe scholar Dr Adam Hansen
MADE BY CORVUS WORKS
