John Nash: ‘It is always possible to see the difference between lettering done by mechanical means and lettering done by hand’

HIS trade is typography and for Highbury resident John Nash the beauty of handwritten signs still outshines computer-generated examples.

Mr Nash, originally from upper New England in the United States, came to the UK in 1968. He has created a plaque to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the founding of Rugby School at a ceremony in Bloomsbury last week.

“My father was a typographer and in Great Britain the notion of good lettering and typography as part of daily life was still just about alive, though fading fast,” he said.

“The craft of letter-carving still survives in a relatively healthy state, but it is getting more and more difficult to find reliable sources of materials.

“The suppliers I use recently warned that green slate of monumental quality is now simply not available.”

Mr Nash has a workroom at the top of his house and a lean-to for small projects but uses his garden for larger works.

“The craft of calligraphy has largely been relegated to a leisure-time activity.

“The art school courses are all gone, so that students must depend on self-education, workshops or adult education classes.

“It is always possible to see the difference between lettering done by mechanical means, and lettering done by hand – the former is dead, and the latter is alive.”