Hand bookbinding · Repairs · Boxes
Books that open flat and close for another hundred years.
We are a two-person bindery. We sew, round and back, pare leather and make boxes to measure. Small editions, family bibles, theses, sketchbooks and the odd ledger that has seen better days.
What we do
Every job starts on the bench with the book in hand. We quote after we have seen it, not before.
Editions
Case bindings and limp covers for runs of 20 to 300. Sewn on tapes, not glued. Cloth, paper or quarter leather, blind or foil stamped.
Repair & conservation
Re-backing, re-sewing, new endpapers, consolidating leather. Reversible materials where it matters, honest ones everywhere else.
Boxes & enclosures
Clamshell boxes, slipcases and portfolios cut to the millimetre. Lined with felt or suede for the things that deserve it.
Indicative prices
Starting points. Leather, gilding and odd formats move the number; we always confirm before we cut anything.
The workshop
Oriel started in 2014 in a former dairy with a nipping press bought at auction and a board shear that still has somebody else's name on it. There are two of us, and we take on what we can finish well. Visits by appointment, Tuesday to Friday.
"A good binding is invisible. You notice it only when it is missing — when a book cracks, sheds pages or refuses to stay open."
Get in touch
Tell us what the book is, how many, and when you need it. Photos help. We reply within a few working days.