Just down the road from us in Preston is Sanderson Bookbinders, which was founded in 1899 by Daniel Sanderson.

About two decades earlier, he set out to find his fortune in California’s goldfields. But he spent what money he made there in a few years.

So, at the beginning of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896, Daniel went on another transatlantic trip, this time to the Klondike region of Yukon, Canada. He discovered parts of the land there rich with quartz and pure gold, staking claims on them with his partner.

The story goes that having literally struck gold, he arrived back in Preston and encountered his father, who was on his way to work. ‘Yesterday was your last day at work,’ Daniel was delighted to tell him. ‘You don’t have to go to work ever again.’

Sanderson Bookbinders is the enduring legacy of this prospector’s astonishing tale. It’s not only one of Preston’s oldest businesses but one of the UK’s oldest continuously operating bookbinders and print finishers.

At its beautiful, historic mill, specialist equipment is used for an incredible range of classical binding techniques. The highly skilled, long-serving and wonderfully friendly staff there welcome all enquiries (and visitors).

Local photographers James Ford & Jordan Maloney shot the team at Sanderson wearing Community Clothing, directed & styled by talented UCLan Fashion Promotion & Marketing students Olivia Evans, Katy Tracey, Victoria Atkins & Morgan Worrall, as part of an ongoing collaboration with us.