View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
July 24, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Last of old Fleet Street at risk amid lease row

By Press Gazette

By Glynn Davis

One of the last remnants of old Fleet Street could be lost next March if agreement is not reached between the St Bride Institute and the Corporation of London over the future of the 110- year-old National Printing Library.

After taking a 25-year lease to run the 8,500 square foot library from the institute in 1991, the corporation last year served notice to terminate the arrangement that costs it £400,000 per year. This puts the future of the library at risk and could lead to its contents being split up.

Mike Jenkins, St Bride Institute chief executive, said: “They are finding it a bit of a drag and are now looking to split up the collection and possibly sell parts of it abroad. They’d move the last piece of Fleet Street away.”

Based on Bride Lane, just off Fleet Street, it contains a world-renowned collection of books, newspapers and printing-related artefacts, including presses and typefaces, dating back to the 1500s.

David Bradbury, director of libraries and Guildhall Art Gallery for the Corporation of London, denied it was looking to split up the collection and that the corporation’s preference was for it to remain in one place. “We’ve offered [the institute] a very substantial amount to enable it to keep the library in one place, but if negotiations fail then we’ll consider all the options, including [selling to] other libraries,” he said.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

A source close to the negotiations revealed the current offer on the table of £1m was unacceptable to the institute, since it believed as much as £5m was needed to ensure the library’s long-term future. Jenkins said: “The corporation is backing out so it should ensure we have enough money to run the library for the rest of the 25 years of the lease.”

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network