Ashendene Press
A British private press renowned for finely printed, carefully bound books inspired by fifteenth-century European printing.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Ashendene Press was a small British private press established by St John Hornby in 1895. It belonged to the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century revival of fine printing in Britain, a movement closely associated with the Arts and Crafts tradition and with presses such as William Morris's Kelmscott Press and the Doves Press. Unlike publishers organized around commercial scale, Ashendene treated printing as a connoisseur's craft and as a personal source of pleasure for its founder. Its books were produced in limited editions for subscribers and collectors, with an emphasis on the quality of type, paper, margins, initials, illustration, and binding. The press began at Hornby's family estate, Ashendene, where members of his family helped with the earliest work. Hornby moved it to Shelley House in Chelsea in 1899. It initially operated until 1915, paused for approximately five years, and resumed production in 1920. The press finally closed in 1935 after Hornby issued a farewell notice to subscribers. Its final major publication was A Descriptive Bibliography of the Books Printed at the Ashendene Press, which documented the press's output and history. Ashendene became especially admired for editions of Dante. Its 1905 Inferno was the first major appearance of the Subiaco typeface, and the complete Tutte le Opere di Dante Alighieri, issued in 1909, is generally regarded as one of the outstanding achievements of the English private-press movement. The Dante edition combined a historically inspired typeface with large margins, two-column pages, red initials and headings, and carefully selected paper and vellum. Six copies were printed on vellum and 105 on paper. The press developed two distinctive typefaces, Subiaco and Ptolemy. Subiaco was based on an early Italian type associated with Arnold Pannartz and Konrad Sweynheim and was cut by Edward Prince. Ptolemy was based on the type used in a 1482 edition of Ptolemy's Geographia and was cut mechanically for the press's edition of Don Quixote. Subiaco was visually darker, while Ptolemy was generally considered more legible. Both faces were designed with assistance from Emery Walker and historical analysis undertaken with Sydney Cockerell. They helped give Ashendene books a recognizable typographic identity rooted in early European printing without simply reproducing medieval decoration. Ashendene books were printed on Albion presses, using paper supplied by J. Batchelor & Sons and vellum from H. Band & Co. Bindings were initially undertaken by Zaehnsdorf and later by the W. H. Smith bindery. Graily Hewitt and other artists supplied handwritten colored initials, while contributors to individual projects included William Harcourt Hooper, Eric Gill, Charles Gere, Gwen Raverat, and Florence Kingsford Cockerell. The press also produced wood-engraved books, announcements, menus, and Christmas cards. Its output was usually restrained in ornament but highly finished, and contemporary assessments often emphasized its success in combining readability, historical character, and physical luxury. Today, Ashendene Press is chiefly significant as a landmark of British fine printing and private-press book production. Its surviving books are collected as artists' books, typographic specimens, and examples of the Arts and Crafts-era revival of the book as an integrated work of art. The press's archival material, including papers, designs, manuscripts, correspondence, ledgers, and folios, is held in the special collections of Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University.
History
St John Hornby founded Ashendene Press in 1895 at the family estate of Ashendene. The early press was a largely personal and family-supported undertaking rather than a conventional commercial publishing company. Hornby was influenced by William Morris and Emery Walker, and by the example of the Kelmscott and Doves presses. Together, these enterprises helped define the British private-press movement, which sought to restore attention to type, paper, illustration, printing, and binding as connected aspects of book design. Hornby moved the press to Shelley House in Chelsea in 1899. Ashendene used Albion presses, paper from J. Batchelor & Sons, and vellum from H. Band & Co. Its early work employed Fell types, but the press later became identified with two specially prepared faces: Subiaco and Ptolemy. Emery Walker assisted Hornby with the design work, while Sydney Cockerell helped investigate historical models. Edward Prince cut Subiaco by hand from a fifteenth-century Italian source associated with Pannartz and Sweynheim. Ptolemy was cut mechanically from a type modelled on the 1482 printing of Ptolemy's Geographia. The press collaborated with a broad group of craftsmen and artists. William Harcourt Hooper worked as a wood engraver from about 1896. Graily Hewitt supplied handwritten colored initials, and other contributors included Eric Gill, Charles Gere, Gwen Raverat, and Florence Kingsford Cockerell. The latter illuminated the 1901 edition of The Song of Songs Which Is Solomon's, varying the decoration among the approximately forty copies. Zaehnsdorf initially bound Ashendene books, followed later by the W. H. Smith bindery. Ashendene's principal customers were book collectors who subscribed to projected publications. The press was particularly associated with books designed to evoke the clarity and dignity of early European printing. Its editions generally used generous margins and carefully controlled typography rather than dense ornament. Printer's marks, including one depicting two men operating a press, reinforced the identity of the workshop. Dante occupied a central place in the press's mature output. The 1905 Inferno introduced Subiaco in a major Ashendene publication. Hornby subsequently devoted nearly a decade to Dante, culminating in the 1909 Tutte le Opere di Dante Alighieri. The edition was printed in six vellum and 105 paper copies, with two-column pages, red initials and headings, and a bugle watermark in the paper. It came to be considered one of the great achievements of the English private press tradition. The press also issued Robert Bridges's Poems Written in the Year MCMXII in 1915. The volume contained twelve new poems and was printed in a small edition for Bridges to distribute to friends rather than as a conventional retail publication. Ashendene later printed Daphnis et Chloé. An initial attempt on Japanese vellum failed when sheets were folded before the ink had fully dried; the work was reprinted on Batchelor paper in 1933 with blue initials by Hewitt and wood engravings by Gwen Raverat. Ashendene suspended operations in 1915 and resumed in 1920. It continued until 1935, when Hornby closed the press after notifying subscribers that A Descriptive Bibliography of the Books Printed at the Ashendene Press would be its final book. The surviving archive at Bridwell Library preserves documentary and production material that illuminates the press's methods, collaborations, and publishing history. The typefaces Subiaco and Ptolemy are now held by Cambridge University Press.
- 1935
Press closed
[1]Hornby ended the press after publishing its descriptive bibliography as the final book.
- 1933
Daphnis et Chloé reprinted
[1]The work was reprinted on Batchelor paper after an unsuccessful Japanese-vellum attempt.
- 1920
Printing resumed after the war
[1]Ashendene Press restarted production after its five-year interruption.
- 1915
Operations paused
[1]The press closed temporarily after issuing Robert Bridges's Poems Written in the Year MCMXII.
- 1909
Complete Dante edition issued
[1]Tutte le Opere di Dante Alighieri was published in a limited edition on paper and vellum.
- 1905
Subiaco introduced in Inferno
[1]The Ashendene Inferno marked the first major appearance of the press's Subiaco typeface.
- 1901
The Song of Songs edition
[1]Florence Kingsford Cockerell illuminated the Ashendene edition, varying the designs across the limited copies.
- 1899
Press moved to Chelsea
[1]Hornby moved the operation to Shelley House in Chelsea, London.
- 1895
Ashendene Press founded
[1]St John Hornby established the private press at the Ashendene family estate.
Products and positioning
A collector-oriented British private press positioned around historical typography, exceptional materials, restrained decoration, limited editions, and bookmaking as a fine art.
Complete literary edition · 1909
Tutte le Opere di Dante Alighieri
A landmark complete edition of Dante's works, printed in the Subiaco typeface in 1909. Its pages used two columns, generous margins, and red initials, headings, and notes. The edition comprised six vellum copies and 105 paper copies, making it a defining example of Ashendene's collector-focused production.
Literary edition · 1905
Inferno
The Ashendene edition of Dante's Inferno introduced the Subiaco typeface in a major press publication. Its historical typographic character and high production standards drew strong contemporary attention and established the type as a signature element of the Ashendene style.
Illustrated literary edition · 1933
Daphnis et Chloé
The 1933 reprint used Batchelor paper, blue initials by Graily Hewitt, wood engravings by Gwen Raverat, and Monotype Pastonic italic. It comprised 290 paper copies and 20 vellum copies, with distinctive paper-board and pigskin bindings.
Poetry edition · 1915
Poems Written in the Year MCMXII by Robert Bridges Poet-Laureate
This quarto volume contained twelve new poems by Robert Bridges. It was printed in 1915 in 85 paper and six vellum copies, intended for Bridges to give to friends rather than for ordinary commercial sale.
Bibliography · 1935
A Descriptive Bibliography of the Books Printed at the Ashendene Press
The press's closing publication, this descriptive bibliography documented its books and served as Hornby's farewell notice to subscribers.
Brand decisions
1935
Permanent closureStrategyBackground
After four decades of limited-edition private-press production, Hornby decided to end the Ashendene project.
Action taken
He closed the press and issued a farewell notice identifying the descriptive bibliography as its last book.
Aftermath
Ashendene's books, typefaces, and archival records became part of the heritage of the private-press movement.
1915
Temporary suspension of printingStrategyBackground
The press stopped production in 1915 after its limited output for collectors and the wartime period.
Action taken
Hornby paused operations for approximately five years.
Aftermath
Printing resumed in 1920 and continued until the final closure in 1935.
1899
Move from Ashendene to ChelseaStrategyBackground
Hornby's relocation required the press to move from his family estate to Shelley House in Chelsea.
Action taken
He transferred the printing operation to London while retaining its private, subscription-based character.
Aftermath
The Chelsea location became the press's principal base for its mature period.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/ashendene-press · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled