Owner & tutor: Jon Ward-Allen began his working life as an apprentice to a letterpress printer in Yorkshire in the 1970s. From there he went on to study and train in graphic design, typography and printing at Watford College of Printing. He then worked for fifteen years in publishing, advertising and design in London before setting up the Medlar Press in 1994. The Press, run by Jon and his wife, Rose, is now the leading publisher of angling literature and history in the country and prides itself on the quality not only of the content but of the design and production quality of its books. Although Medlar is at the forefront of printing and publishing technology, Jon has never lost his passion for the traditional methods of book production, and his enthusiasm and skill have always inspired and enthused those keen to find out more.
Owner & admin: Rose Ward-Allen has known the Grange since the age of eighteen when she lived here with her aunt and uncle whilst completing her A-levels at Ellesmere College (while her parents were on a posting in Mauritius). After her degree she joined Macmillan International as a trainee editor and then moved into UK educational publishing as an editor for Bell & Hyman which later became Unwin Hyman. Leaving there as a commissioning editor, she spent a couple of years as Longman's Publisher for Southern Africa (in Gaborone, Botswana) and then became their Publisher for the Caribbean (travelling to the islands from Harlow). In 1994 Jon and Rose set up their own publishing company, the Medlar Press, and moved to Shropshire. Since then, they have raised a family (and a dog) and have developed the book craft courses at the Grange to run alongside their publishing company, which now has over 100 books in print.
Ken Burnley served his apprenticeship as a compositor back in the Sixties in a large Lancashire bookwork printers. He subsequently became a lecturer at Liverpool College of Printing, where he taught typesetting for almost thirty years, experiencing the transition from traditional letterpress printing to phototypesetting and more recently digital printing. Latterly he has been a freelance copyeditor, designer, typesetter and proofreader for major international publishers, having project-managed over 1,000 books in the past fifteen years. Now retired, Ken has returned to his letterpress roots, and has revived his own Silver Birch Press where he sets and prints small limited-edition books. He is anxious to ensure that the skills are passed down to future generations to see them used to create beautiful printed images in the way that only letterpress can achieve.
Alan Fitch is a professional bookbinder/teacher. Having served a six year Letterpress Apprenticeship, in the late 70’s he set up The Farthing Press. In the mid 80’s he attended Norwich City College to learn Bookbinding & Archive Repair and the press became The Farthing Press & Bindery. He started teaching in the late 90’s, eventually stopping printing to concentrate on teaching. He is a Society of Bookbinders accredited teacher as well as being a member of Designer Bookbinders. He now splits his time between teaching and design binding and has books in private collections in France, South Africa, China and New Zealand. He is based in South Norfolk.
Glenn Malkin is a professional bookbinder and a licentiate of Designer Bookbinders. Since becoming a full time bookbinder in 2008 Glenn has won numerous prizes and awards for his design bindings including the first prize for fine bindings in the 2015 Society of Bookbinders International Competition. He is an active member of both UK bookbinding societies and splits his work time between traditional book repairs and re-binds, creating design bindings and teaching and demonstrating at workshops and bookbinding events. Glenn has books in collections as far apart as Europe and the USA, and the Middle East and Australia. Glenn’s business, Signature Bindings, is based in seaside town of Hornsea in East Yorkshire.
Jill Sellars is a self-taught marbler who has been marbling since the mid-Seventies, when, working with bookbinder Paul Delrue an in-house supply of decorated papers was needed for the range of photograph albums and notebooks they were making. Since then Jill has developed her techniques, picking up new ideas and inspiration at the Marblers' Gatherings in America in 1991 and 2001. An Honorary Fellow of the Society of Bookbinders, Jill has been associated with the bookbinding world and has demonstrated and given talks on marbling for nearly thirty years. Jill’s papers have been used in many of her husband, David's fine bindings and in 2009 together they produced an edition of six miniature designed bindings illustrated with Jill's suminagashi.
Annabel Wade is an experienced meditator with a background in psychology and is pursuing further studies in mindfulness at Bangor University. She will be 61 this year. ‘I first came to the Grange over ten years ago to celebrate a big birthday. I felt it was time do do something just for me. I love facilitating our weekends and have met many wonderful and inspiring women. I enjoy writing poetry as well as practising tai chi, meditation and mindfulness.’
Rosemary Ward is a practising psychotherapist and has trained in teaching Meditation and Mindfulness at Oxford University. She has over twenty years’ experience of running groups for women, particularly those in the second half of their lives.