The lost Doves Type: A Thames mystery solved | London Museum

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04 December 2024 — By Jason Sandy

The lost Doves Type: A Thames mystery solved

In 1916, a grumpy printer tossed his famous typeface into the Thames to spite his business partner. A century later, mudlarks and divers finally bring it back to life.

Letters of Doves Type. External Copyright. © Robert Green, 2016

Lowercase letters of Doves Type discovered in the Thames.

The man who threw his legacy into the Thames

It was midnight as TJ Cobden-Sanderson stepped out into a dark, summer night in west London in August 1916. He struggled to remain inconspicuous as he carried a heavy wooden box down a small passageway, his face concealed under his large beret. It was an arduous task for a 75-year-old man, but he was on a mission to destroy the very thing he loved so much, his life’s work.

“Cobden-Sanderson went to a discreet spot on the bridge where he quietly dumped trays of metal type into the Thames”

After a 10-minute walk along the River Thames, Cobden-Sanderson arrived at Hammersmith Bridge, a beautiful Victorian suspension bridge gracefully supported by towering green turrets and decorated with ornate, golden features. Concealed under the cover of darkness, Cobden-Sanderson went to a discreet spot on the bridge where he quietly dumped trays of metal type into the Thames.<br>The sound of passing buses and traffic on the timber-decked bridge drowned out the splash of the heavy type in the river below. Between 1916 and 1917, Cobden-Sanderson made around 170 trips to Hammersmith Bridge to condemn his precious masterpiece to the depths of the River Thames, hoping it would never be seen again.

TJ Cobden-Sanderson. External Copyright. Credit: Bonhams, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TJ Cobden-Sanderson in 1902.

The Doves Press: A revolutionary partnership in British printing

Why did he dispose of his life’s work?<br>TJ Cobden-Sanderson was a printer and bookbinder who established the Doves Bindery in 1893, which he named after The Dove pub located next to his house along the Thames. Cobden-Sanderson was part of the Arts and Crafts movement and was friends with Emery Walker and William Morris, who ran Kelmscott Press in Hammersmith near Cobden-Sanderson’s house.<br>After Morris died in 1896, Cobden-Sanderson convinced Walker to set up their own printing press. In 1900, the Doves Press was established by the two men who became partners in the joint venture.

Emery Walker and TJ Cobden-Sanderson. External Copyright. © Emery Walker Trust

Emery Walker and TJ Cobden-Sanderson.

Based on the Venetian types of 15th-century printer Nicolas Jenson, the Doves Type was commissioned by Cobden-Sanderson under Walker’s supervision. As part of the private press movement, the partners opposed mechanised printing and used a hand press to create their books.<br>The 40 editions issued by the Doves Press between 1900 and 1916 included some of the finest books ever produced in Britain. Completed in 1905, the five-volume Doves Bible was their crowning achievement.

Doves Press Bible. External Copyright. Loc.gov via Wikimedia Commons

Doves Press Bible (1903–1905)

The bitter feud behind the Doves Type

Despite acclaim for the press, Cobden-Sanderson grew resentful of what he understood as Walker’s lack of commitment. Walker divided his time between his engraving business, the Doves Press and various committees and societies. This and differences over the work of the press led to the partnership being dissolved in 1909.

“Cobden-Sanderson secretly resolved that neither his partner, nor anyone else, would have the typeface”

Under the terms of an earlier agreement, Walker was promised a fount of type for his own use. Cobden-Sanderson attempted to renege on this arrangement, and a bitter feud erupted. Concerned friends negotiated a compromise: Cobden-Sanderson could print with the type until his death, after which it would revert to Walker.<br>Cobden-Sanderson secretly resolved that neither Walker, nor anyone else, would have it. In August 1916, he began discarding the Doves Type off Hammersmith Bridge. Announcing the closure of the Doves Press in March 1917, Cobden-Sanderson revealed that its type had been ‘bequeathed’ to the River Thames.

Hammersmith Bridge. External Copyright. Courtesy of Alamy.com

Hammersmith Bridge spanning the Thames on a sunny summer's day.

Searching for the lost Doves Type

For 97 years, the Doves Type lay at the bottom of the Thames, hidden among the gravel and mud. Several attempts were made to find the discarded type, but none were successful. Robert Green, a London graphic designer, became fascinated by the Doves Type after toying with the idea of starting his own private press. He decided to redraw it, based on printed sources, as a digital font.<br>After its initial release in 2013, Green was not satisfied with the font’s accuracy. He obtained a mudlarking license determined to recover some of the original metal...