ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›aefhioruy
A true tuscan letterform, the original is located on The House of St. Barnabas executed on ceramic tile, and was revealed In all Its broken glory in 2014. Charity retaIns the option of using these incorrect characters allowing a lively decorative texture to any typesetting. Charity features fishtailed terminals on it’s strokes, a curious branched ‘T’, while the ‘S’ displays tear-drop ends to its serifs. Almost uniform in wIdth, the ‘A’, ‘M’ and ‘W’ are the widest characters In this set.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
This somewhat elongated set of Roman capitals was originally rendered in paint circa 1940, but its roots trace back to the Trajan Column in Rome. However, witness the slightly unbalanced ‘W’ and the painter’s hand is revealed. Century’s flared serif style is extremely short, sharp and bracketed. The ‘M’ is splayed and has no top serifs. Century has a uniform appearance of width, probably due to its sign-written origins. yet is elegant, classic and accentuates sophistication.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
The sister type to Cattle & Son, Portland is Oblique rather than Italic. the serifs are not overly long, yet still enhance its rather rigid cap height and baseline appearance. Its ‘A’ has a top serif, the ‘M’ square and the ‘G’ foregoes any spur. Particularly delightful is the open ampersand. numerals align to encourage the horizontal flavour of the oblique style. Overall, Portland is equally confident and graceful.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
Cattle & Son is best described as a wide, but not overly extended Grotesque style Sans Serif, showing a uniform width and carrying a robust strength to its form. Whilst lightly functional overall, the purposeful diagonal legs of the K, R, and the tail of the Q add an urgency to its appearance. The reduced size of the Ampersand gives away Cattle & Sons hand-painted origins, AND the oblique compacted ‘LTD’ found on the original sign is also included in the final set. This beautiful sign is tucked away under an arch in Portland Mews, sheltering from the weather perhaps this is why it has lasted so long.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
A lineale Continental style, St James also displays a true sense of ‘Londoness’ in it’s Titling form, perhaps influenced by early Underground signage. Irregular letterforms display a continental flavour, particularly evident in its Deco style ‘W’, Ampersand and numerals. The rather high cross bar in the ‘A’ is also reflected in the raised middle strokes of the ‘M’. Noteworthy are the distinctive unions found on all of the characters. The original lettering is still located on Greek St.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
Thanks to its humble tiled origins, this Egyptian serif type maintains a uniform character width, creating the irregular letter proportions found in the final alphabet. broad- shouldered, the bracketed serifs firmly ground the face, whilst its extreme hairlines became a necessity due to the uniform width. Of note is the upside down ‘S’, to be found on the original sign on Berwick Street, a lovely retention. Perhaps due to its ceramic origins, there is surprising “slippiness” to its final appearance.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890&?£$¢t€¥!¡¿#%‰@/\*†‡()[]{}-_…·•:;“”‘’.,„‚“‘«»‹›
The elongated Marlborough features diagonal terminals to some characters and numerals. Also retained is the space saving contracted T glyph from the original sign, while the ‘R’ features a distinctive wedge-shaped leg. Highly individual in this form, similar signage appears around Soho, but featuring a variety of widths in their design.
BUY ALL 7 Fonts for £70 AT FONTSMITH.COMLost & Foundry is a unique collection of 7 typefaces based on the disappearing signs of Soho, these are at risk of being lost forever due to the ever changing landscape of the area.By re-imaging the signage as complete fonts, we have rescued this rich visual history from the streets and present the typefaces into a contemporary context for a bright optimistic future.
We are partnered with The House of St Barnabas, a private members club in Soho Square, whose work as a not for profit charity aims to break the cycle of homelessness in London. 100% of the proceeds from sales of fonts go directly to the House to help their essential work.
We can’t wait for these typefaces to acquire a new life in a new context, so why not share with us how you use them. Contact us via Email or follow on Instagram.
Extremely elongated, this is the most extreme of the City of Westminster signs of this period. Highly individual in form, diagonal terminals to some characters and the wedge shaped leg of the ‘R’ lends a distinctive flavour this Sans Serif style.
An Egyptian style serif type with a uniform width, found on Berwick Street, but with other examples scattered across Soho, and executed on ceramic tile. Note the upside down ‘S’, its bracketed serifs and the extremely fine hairlines.
A lineale continental style, St James still adorns a building on Greek St. It evokes London of the Art Deco era through it’s ‘W’, Ampersand and distinctive numerals. St James has a full Titling case to add a rhythm to any typesetting.
Found sheltering under an arch just off D’Arblay St, the original sign-writer created this Grotesque Sans Serif circa 1940. Robust in style, Cattle is given added urgency with the diagonals on the ‘K’, ‘R’ and ‘Q’. The compacted ‘LTD’ has also be retained.
Found located on the same sign as Cattle, Portland is Oblique rather than Italic. It’s appearance is enhanced by a rigid cap height and baseline, adding urgency to its legibility. The open ‘&’ is playful, the ‘M’ is square and the ‘G’ forgoes any need for a spur.
An elongated set of Roman capitals, found on Soho Square. Century has extremely short flared serifs. The ‘M’ is splayed with no top serifs. The ‘W’ is notably unbalanced. Executed in paint, Century is elegant and classic in appearance.
Located on the exterior of HOSB, and originally lovingly painted on ceramic tile. The random re-arrangement of the letter-forms has been retained as an option to use. Charity features fishtailed terminals to on it’s strokes and tear drop ends to it’s serifs.