Blue Plaque: John Baskerville

John Baskerville was a self-made Birmingham entrepreneur who revolutionized the art of printing. From teaching handwriting to creating one of the world’s most elegant typefaces, his eye for beautiful lettering transformed how books looked and felt.

From gravestones to gold
Born in Worcestershire in 1706, Baskerville moved to Birmingham as a young man and after an early career teaching handwriting and cutting gravestones, he made his fortune in the 1740s through “japanning” (applying decorative lacquer to household goods).  With this wealth and obsessed with perfection, Baskerville acquired Easy Hill estate and pursued his passion: creating the perfect book.  Unlike other printers, he controlled every stage of the process: designed his own typeface (the elegant Baskerville font still used today), manufactured custom inks for deeper, richer blacks and invented “wove” paper – smoother than anything available, making his delicate letters shine. He was appointed printer to the University of Cambridge and, although an atheist, he printed The Book of Common Prayer in 1762 and a splendid folio Bible in 1763.

A scandalous life and strange afterlife
Baskerville’s personal life raised eyebrows. He lived with Sarah Eaves, a woman abandoned by her husband, finally marrying her in 1764 after her spouse died.  A committed atheist, Baskerville requested burial in unconsecrated ground. His body, sealed in a lead coffin, was buried at Easy Hill—but Birmingham’s expansion meant he was moved repeatedly. He finally found permanent rest in 1893 at Warstone Lane Cemetery’s catacombs.

His most notable typeface, Baskerville, is held to represent the peak of transitional type face, a bridge between Old Style and Modern type design.  His work is considered among the finest examples of the art of printing.