Willesden High Road in 1958
A broadside designed and typeset in 2011 by Phil Baines for New North Press’s Reverting to Type Portfolio 1. Limited number of 10 prints for sale individually, size 570mm × 450mm. Phil Baines comments:
I was seduced by the incredible variety of decorative types at the press and felt that they shared an affinity with old shop fronts. I have re-imagined Willesden High Road in the year I was born using copy from Kelly’s Directory for London (courtesy Brent Archives).
“All names are as in the Kelly’s Directory of 1958. Proprietors in Consort or Consort Condensed, shop type in a typeface suggestive of purpose or period. The ‘T’ of Tobccnst is actually a ‘C’, there were no ‘T’s which led to a last minute change of font :(” — Phil Baines
Selecting the type.
“I bodge it … as there’s not enough wedges in this size.” — Phil Baines
The designer and typesetter, Phil Baines.
4 Comments on “Willesden High Road in 1958”
Amongst the unidentified fonts, I can spot Brush Sans Rimmed and a type of Ionic. This isn’t a complete identification, but this comment should prove useful.
Confirmed! Thanks, Bryson.
I posted this comment before I realized there was a non-compressed version of Consort. Is that non-compressed version of the Ionic a version of Consort as well? To me, it seems likely!
Correct. See the caption to the second image, where Phil Baines mentions the use of Consort and Consort Condensed.