Type Archive facts for kids
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The Type Archive was a special place in South London, England. It used to be called the Type Museum. This archive kept a huge collection of old machines and tools. These items showed the history of how type was made in England. English type foundries (places that made type) were famous. They supplied type in over 300 languages around the world. The Type Archive started in 1992. It was founded by Susan Shaw. In 2022, the Archive announced it would close its building. Parts of its collections would go to other museums.
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What Was the Type Archive?
The Type Archive was like a giant treasure chest. It held original forms, punches, moulds (called matrices), and patterns. These were from some of England's most successful metal and wood type factories. It also had a historic collection of printing presses. The Archive had millions of items. Some estimates say it had over 10 million pieces!
The Archive was also home to a special group called Monotype Hot-Metal Ltd. This group was made up of four older people. They used to work for the Monotype Corporation. They made matrices (moulds) for Monotype hot-metal typesetting machines. These machines are still used today. They help letterpress printing hobbyists and some businesses. The Archive also taught young people how to make these matrices. This work stopped on July 25, 2022.
The Type Archive was not usually open to the public. It did not have regular visiting hours. But sometimes, it held open days. It also had special art shows in a gallery. School groups could visit for printing workshops.
Amazing Collections
The Type Archive had three main collections:
Stephenson Blake Collection
This collection had English foundry type. It included industrial and hand casting equipment. The Archive said it had 2.5 million items. The Stephenson Blake & Company bought many other famous English type foundries. One of these was the Caslon Type Foundry. So, the Type Archive kept many items from these companies. The Victoria and Albert Museum will now look after this collection.
Monotype Collection
This collection showed the whole history of the Monotype Corporation. Monotype made fine letterpress machine type. They made it for almost all languages. The entire collection was bought in 1992. It was bought with help from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. This collection belongs to the Science Museum. The Science Museum let the Type Archive take care of it. The Science Museum plans to move this collection. It has about 6,600 items with 5 million parts.
Robert DeLittle Wood Type
This collection was from Robert DeLittle. He was the last special wood type maker in England. It included patterns, cutting machines (pantographs), tools, and some type. The Archive bought this collection directly. We do not know where this collection will go yet.
Where Was It Located?
The Type Archive was in Stockwell, South London. It was in a group of buildings on Hackford Road. For 30 years, this was its home. The buildings used to be a place for animal medicine. They even housed baby elephants sometimes! Because of this, the founder, Susan Shaw, used an elephant as the Archive's symbol.
The address was:
- 100 Hackford Road
- London SW9 0QU
- England
Visiting the Archive
A small team of staff and volunteers ran the Type Archive. Some worked for Monotype Hot Metal Ltd. They made Monotype matrices and spare parts. This company always had orders for these items. Skilled volunteers also kept the old presses working. They also operated the Monotype casting machines.
A big art show happened from September to December 2017. It showed the work of Berthold Wolpe. He was an artist, designer, and type designer. About 1,000 people visited this show. The Wolpe exhibition was put together with Monotype Imaging. It used items from the Type Archive and from Berthold Wolpe's children.
Another show opened in June 2018. It featured the art of Gunnlaugur SE Briem. He is an Icelandic artist and handwriting expert. This show closed in mid-July that year.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for people to visit. The founder, Susan Shaw, also passed away in 2020. These events made it very difficult for staff and visitors.
In mid-2022, a note on the Type Archive's website said it would close. It said the collections would be moved. Monotype Hot-Metal Ltd. told its customers it would stop working in July 2022.
