John Baskerville is one of England’s most important historical figures whose contribution to eighteenth-century Birmingham, the Republic of Letters, the progress of industry and the development of the Enlightenment, and, of course, to typography have never received civic acknowledgement that he deserves. This was rectified at an event on Wednesday 30 April at The Exchange, Centenary Square, Birmingham, where more than seventy invited guests from across the city’s heritage, typographic and academic communities celebrated the unveiling of a blue plaque to commemorate Baskerville’s role in the history of Birmingham. The unveiling was performed by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Ken Wood (accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, Barbara Wood) and the author, journalist and broadcaster Simon Garfield, whose notable volume Just My Type and recent publication, Baskerville: the biography of a typeface, made him the ideal choice to deliver a speech on our man of the moment. The plaque will be installed on the face of Baskerville House, Centenary Square in June. Our thanks go to the Civic Society for recognising Baskerville’s worth, the Baskerville Society for funding the production of the plaque, to History West Midlands for sponsoring the drinks and canapés and to the Exchange for hosting the event.
