The studio
A small bench, a lot of paste, and plenty of patience.
Halden & Wren started in 2011 as a weekend side project in a spare room, repairing second-hand books for a local shop. A few years later the spare room was full of presses and the weekends had become the whole week.
Today we are two binders sharing one long workbench. One of us trained in library conservation, the other in fine binding — so most jobs get a second pair of eyes before they go home.
We take on a limited number of jobs each month so that every item gets proper drying time between steps. Rushed paste is bad paste.
At a glance
- Founded
- 2011
- Binders
- 2
- Typical turnaround
- 3 – 6 weeks
- Oldest book repaired
- 1683 psalter
- Adhesives
- Wheat starch paste, PVA where appropriate
- Thread
- Unbleached linen
Our principles
Do less
The best repair is often the smallest one that keeps the book usable. We don't replace what can be saved.
Stay reversible
Anything we add should be removable by a future conservator without harming the original.
Write it down
Each job comes back with a short note describing its condition and what was done, for whoever handles it next.