About Seagull Bindery

Philippa East began her bookbinding journey in 2011 in a traditional workshop in Barnes, West London, under the expert guidance of master binder and Booker Prize binder Mark Cockram at Studio Five. Alongside attending the studio weekly for four years, Philippa also maintained a weekly work placement in the Book and Paper Conservation Studio at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 2020, having moved home to rural East Sussex, Philippa founded the Rye Book and Paper Studio, which has since been rebranded as Seagull Bindery. The bindery offers a range of services, including bespoke binding, conservation and restoration of book and paper objects, and tuition in bookbinding. Philippa can also provide onsite services, including bookbinding tuition, and collections assessment and care. Previous clients have included: the Hastings Contemporary in Hastings, East Sussex; Hole Park in Rolvenden, Kent; the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Barbados; and Disaster Care Ltd, UK. 

Seagull Bindery Logo in White
A woman in a black sleeveless top and gray apron standing by a window, in a workspace with tools and materials on a table, looking outside.
A woman in a black sleeveless top and gray apron standing by a window, in a workspace with tools and materials on a table, looking outside.

Photograph Mark Cocksedge

In April 2020, Philippa graduated with an MA in Preventive Conservation from the University of Northumbria. The main area of research was conservation housekeeping in the historic house museum, which involved a two-year voluntary work placement with the National Trust. In November 2024 Philippa was awarded an MLitt with Distinction in Cultural Property Protection with Newcastle University. Philippa has a specialist interest in the protection of cultural heritage in the face of environmental hazards and climate change. Philippa is active in the field of heritage conservation in Barbados where she has delivered bookbinding workshops to archive and heritage professionals, and contributed to a heritage conservation training program under the Reclaiming our Atlantic Destiny project.  

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Press

A woman standing in a grassy field with trees in the background, smiling, wearing a black sleeveless top and a colorful apron. The sky is cloudy.

RyeZine
photos by Mark Cocksedge for RyeZine

Image of a workspace with a table filled with art supplies, flowers, books, and framed artwork, including a portrait drawing of a religious figure and a landscape sketch, along with a laptop and decorative objects.
Cover of Financial Times' HITSI magazine, issue dated November 23, 2024, titled 'In the Mood.' Features a young woman sitting with her hands on her head, wearing a black top and patterned skirt, with a shadow cast on the wall behind her.

Financial Times
HTSI The Celebration Issue

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Prevention and Restoration

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Workshops and Events

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Open beige hardcover book with pages fanned out on white background.