ABOUT US
Our History
Belfast Bookbinding Ltd. was established in 2001 by David Willis. David is a time-served bookbinder with a life-time of experience in the craft of bookbinding. He served his apprenticeship as a bookbinder and gold finisher with Eric Honeyford & Sons, who operated out of the Northern Whig, Belfast. Later he worked for seven years as a bookbinder for Queen’s University Belfast before returning to Eric Honeyford & Sons, then on the Limestone Road, as Bindery Manager.
In 2001, David took over the existing Thesis Binding Company, renaming it The Belfast Bookbinding Company and expanded its services to cover the full range of bookbinding activities.
David is now retired from the business but is still around as an adviser and consultant to the new owners.
New Ownership
In 2019 the company was acquired from David Willis by Sam and Anna Bell.
Sam, after a career in education, undertook some initial bookbinding training with Downie Allison Downie, Partick, Glasgow, in 2017 and 2018. He then joined David Willis in July 2018 to undertake seven months of full-time training.
Anna is an experienced seamstress, and soft furnishings designer, whose sewing skills have readily adapted to the craft of bookbinding. She sews books by hand and machine in preparation for binding.
Together Sam and Anna have been operating the company since January 2019, binding books for private customers, binding theses for students, and fulfilling orders for councils, hospitals, and the printing trade, and other public and private organisations.
Further training in book repair and conservation is undertaken periodically with Mark Ramsden, Book Conservator, Duns, Berwickshire.