A typographic time capsule

Exmouth Market Letterpress Print

A Special London Street…

Exmouth Market is one of Central London’s hidden gems, an historic pedestrianised street packed with independent shops, restaurants, cafés and market stalls.

This illuminated letterpress print documents the street’s 400-year history, featuring blood sports, a disreputable Victorian tea garden and an atrocious graveyard, long-since buried. It records the street's changes up to the present day, including over 40 ‘establishments of note’, and the current market stalls.

To evoke the character of the market, I based several of the decorated initials, spelling ‘Exmouth’, on the rich assortment of lettering found on the street, while the rest were illustrated to tell the story of its past.

The text is set in Minion Pro and makes full use of the typeface’s historical and ornamental characters to enrich the text. The typographic composition allows the narrative to be weaved around the page and create bold drop caps from the initials.

Exmouth Market Print U | Jamie Clarke Type

Exmouth Market Letterpress Print H dropcap | Jamie Clarke Type

Exmouth Market Print X | Jamie Clarke Type

Exmouth Market Letterpress Print | Jamie Clarke Type

Print Details

Letterpress in silver, turquoise and black
Individually signed, limited edition of 250
Printed on Crane's Lettra 300gsm paper
Size: 660 x 464 mm (25.9" x 18.2") allowing the body text to be easily read from a couple of feet away
Set in Minion Pro (Robert Slimbach, 1990)
Printed by Hand & Eye letterpress, London

Featured In:

Thames & Hudson: Type Tell Tales, Steven Heller, Gail Anderson
Type Room: Delve into Jamie Clarke's “Typographic Time Capsule”
People of Print: Exmouth Market Letterpress
CreativeBloq: Letterpress typography pays tribute to 400-year-old street
The FontFeed: Typographic Time Capsule of A London Street (No longer available)

Establishments Noted:
North side: Caravan, Gulshan Tandoori, The Exmouth Arms, SpaceEC1, Brill, Farringdon Locksmith & Tool Shop, G N Furniture, Gail’s Bakery, EC One, Café Kick, Bagman and Robin, Family Tree, Potato Merchant & Santoré.
South side: Paesan, East Central Cycles, The Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Big Wheel Theatre Company, The Klinik, Clerkenwell Tales, Morito, Moro, Medcalf, Clark’s Pie & Mash, EXM Hair & Beauty, Pride of Siam, Nécco, McCaul Goldsmiths, Family Business, Hummus Bros, Sweet Boulangerie & Patisserie & Book Ends.

Market Stalls: Spinach & Agushi, Freebird, Sporeboys, The London Brigaderia, Crêpes & Galettes, Spanish Flavours, Simply Thai, The German Barbeque & Ion Patisserie.

Historical locations referenced: The Fountain, London Spaw, The Dog & Duck/ Ducking Pond House, Brayne’s Row, Exmouth Street, The Pantheon, Spa Fields Chapel, Spa Fields Graveyard.

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