Our staff
Edward Bayntun-Coward
Edward is the great-grandson of George Bayntun and son of Hylton. He read Modern History at Oxford University and then worked for five years at Maggs Bros. in London. Married to Laura, with three children, Lily, Joshua and Beatrice, Edward is also Chairman of the Bath Preservation Trust andvarious museums.
Charlotte Bayntun-Coward
Charlotte married Hylton in 1963 and they had four children: Emma, Edward, Polly and Jo. They together travelled the world, buying and selling books and making friends. Charlotte now owns George Gregory, is Almoner of St. John's Hospital in Bath, maintains the family home at Dunkerton, has 11 grandchildren and still travels the world.
Jeremy Peters
Jeremy has spent his whole working life in books, beginning at WHSmith & Son and arriving at Bayntun's in 1967. He now manages the shop and bindery and is responsible for much of the buying. Having worked for Hylton for thirty years he is now enjoying a new lease of life with Edward.
Penny Cox
Penny is part of the fixtures and fittings having joined the firm in 1963 as secretary to Edward's grandmother Constance and then tending to Hylton for 35 years. She is married with one son, Daniel, who works in London and designed this website!
Julie Grayshan
Julie joined us in 1964, as a secretary and book-keeper to Constance and Hylton. She left to bring up her daughter and went on to take up a career in tourism. The lure of Bayntun's proved too strong and she returned to the fold in the late 1970s. Julie now runs the George Gregory print and map department.
Annie Logan
Annie, our assistant shop manager, started here in January 2006, and it is hard to imagine Bayntun's without her. She maintains our website, looks after customers, and knows where to find things. Last year she completed the Rare Book Society's 'Cataloguing for Booksellers' course. She lives in a canal-side cottage with her growing collection of early Penguin books.
Pam Fontana
Pam has been our book-keeper since 2002, and keeps our accounts in perfect order. She previously worked in hotel management for many years, before becoming an accounts supervisor for Tate & Lyle. When Pam was a small child her father would bring her into Bayntun's, leading to a life long love of books.Bindery staff
Emma Abrahams
Emma is Pauline's daughter, and has been with us since 2000. She began by preparing the endpapers for new bindings. She now also helps with the collating and sewing, and keeps us all informed with her cheerful running commentary.
Don Alexander
After spending five years as an apprentice here from 1977, Don went off to work for Period Binders and Chivers. He returned in 1995 and is the complete all-rounder, with experience of forwarding, edge gilding, finishing and box making. He is now our chief restorer.
Pat Broom and Pauline Abrahams
The twins started working at Bayntun's in 1969, straight after leaving school. They have turned their hands to all aspects of the initial stages of binding, including collating, cleaning, resewing and headbanding. Both now have daughters working opposite them at their long bench in the "Girls' Room".
Tony Evans
Tony completed his apprenticeship at Chivers and came to us in 1987. Now our senior finisher he has the run of our many thousands of hand tools, blocks and rolls. All of which he handles with great skill and speed. An enthusiastic cyclist, he has taken part in races throughout Europe as a member of the Bath Cycling Club.
Lance Gibson
[Lance retired on the 26th June 2009, after 49 years as a Bayntun binder].Lance was the bindery foreman, having been here since 1960. Always the first in and last out, he was a master forwarder, responsible for the endpapers, boards and leather. His summer holidays are usually spent walking in Switzerland or watching the cricket in Bath or at Lords.
Derek Harris
Our longest serving member of staff, Derek started here in 1947. After a six year apprenticeship, he completed two years of National Service. He has worked in all areas of the bindery and now largely devotes his two days a week to making our special boxes. Derek has been married for 42 years, having met his wife when they worked together in the bindery.
Spike Llewellyn
Spike joined us as a forwarder in the spring of 2010. He has a BA in Bookbinding from Roehampton and spent seven years at Temple Bookbinders in Oxford.
Ian Luff
Ian specialises in the conservation and restoration of works on paper and parchment. Having trained in the Conservation Department of the Public Records Office, he now has over 30 years of experience. He came to work in the bindery in 2000.
Justine O'Brien
Justine is Pat's daughter and has been at Bayntun's since 1997. She has the responsibility of refurbishing old bindings and is often able to make them look as good as new. She also sews the headbands on our own bindings.
