About the Stationers’ Company

The Worshipful Company of Stationers’ and Newspaper Makers’ (The Stationers’ Company) is one of London’s older Livery Companies with its origins in the fourteenth century.

In 1403, a guild was formed whose members included text-writers and illuminators, booksellers, bookbinders and suppliers of parchment, pens and paper. They set up fixed-position stalls in St Paul’s Churchyard, and were therefore referred to as ‘Stationers’, as opposed to those operating as itinerant vendors.

A Royal Charter was awarded in 1557 giving the guild the power to control printing in all its aspects. Its involvement in training and education began when printing houses presented their apprentices at Stationers’ Hall during their first year for a fee of sixpence. In 1861, the first Stationers’ School opened just off Fleet Street and then, with an expanding school roll, built a larger school in Hornsey which opened in 1894. Over the years, the school established a high reputation as an excellent grammar school, but closed in 1984 following the introduction of the comprehensive system. However, the sale of the land on which it stood created a capital fund from which it derives income to support its charitable objectives in education.

On 1 October 2007 The Stationers’ Company merged its charities to create The Stationers’ Foundation, which is responsible for overseeing the Company’s charities and, from the outset, one of the most important aspects of The Stationers’ Foundation’s activities has been to encourage training and education in the graphic arts world, which today includes the wider digital media world.

There are a number of ways in which young people can benefit from the work of The Stationers’ Foundation. These include scholarships, bursaries, grants, equipment supply and opportunities to undertake further education and travel in order to prepare them for entry into a profession, trade, craft or occupation in the media and graphic arts industry.

Contact The Stationers’ Company

Karyn Keating
Membership & Communications Manager, The Stationers’ Company
Stationers’ Hall
Ave Maria Lane
London EC4M 7DD

0207 246 0998
communications@stationers.org
www.stationers.org