Geotype Submission

The Geotype project charts the rich history of lettering and type forms that have established the identity of cities and towns around the world. Explore the map

How does this letter-form communicate its location?

Facing the large Church in the middle of town sits Church House, a townhouse dating from about 1765. The old County Court, in use until the mid-20th century, is an annex built sometime between 1858 and 1886. Interestingly, it narrowly survived a WWII bombing raid on Saturday 12 October 1940 which destroyed an adjacent part of the house. Like many buildings in this area this is built from Hamstone, a beautiful warm golden stone that comes from local quarry and now country park Ham Hill. Many of the town’s older buildings have Hamstone slabs engraved with lettering and dates in various styles. Slab serif typefaces didn’t come into use until the early 1800s, so this would have been a fairly contemporary style. The heft of the capital lettering help to give it weight and authority.

Location

Church Street, Yeovil, UK