Bedtime stories with a bite

Journeys Through Print

London's Fleet Street has been associated with printers and bookbinders for hundreds of years, ever since Wynkyn de Worde built the capital's first printing press next to St Bride's Church in 1500, laying the foundations for Britain's modern printing industry.

Now, those curious to learn more about London's historic printing district can explore it on foot with our audio app, and discover the area's hidden histories as told by the printers themselves.

Begin your journey outside St Paul's station and follow the trail marked on the map. As you come to each stop, tap the screen to hear a printer associated with that location tell their story. Discover how Wynkyn de Worde established his bookshop in St Paul's churchyard, how Elizabeth Mallet published Britain's first daily newspaper in 1702, and how Beatrice Warde took the monotype Coporation by storm during the 1920s.

Combining history, drama and mobile technology, Journeys Through Print blends the printers' own words with modern reimaginings of these figures, together revealing how they made London into one of the world's great centres of print.

Download the android app

Written and designed by: Christopher Adams and Elizabeth Dearnley

Performed by:
Timothy Allsop Jon Millington
Sarah Sigal Becky Wright

Research: Elizabeth Savage

App design and development: Trevor Fountain

Journeys Through Print was created for Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities, and was supported by the School of Advanced Study, University of London.