The move will officially take place on 10 January and had been in the pipeline since the summer, when BPIF chief executive Charles Jarrold and St Bride chief executive Paul Jessop began discussions over what would happen to the BPIF office once its lease ran out in January 2017. 

Jarrold said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for the BPIF, we’re delighted to be able to take some space at St Bride. It’s a great location, it’s a great venue, and there is obviously the historical connection with print.

“It’s a happy coming together of circumstances in terms of our lease ending here and being able to explore that as an option.” 

Eight staff from the BPIF will occupy the Fleet and Albion rooms at the St Bride Foundation, while the BPIF’s main administrative and office centre will remain at the Meriden Business Park, Coventry. 

Jarrold added that along with marketing and regional support sources provided by staff in the office, it will also play host to networking and training events.

Jessop said he was pleased to be welcoming the BPIF to St Bride, which he said has a “rich history as custodians of London’s printing heritage”, highlighting the fact that the London College of Printing (now the London College of Communication) started out as the St Bride School of Printing in 1894.

St Bride has been associated with print and publishing since 1891 and still houses old printing presses and collections relating to printing, typography and graphic design.

Last week, it hosted its annual Carols for Printers service, which was attended by a number of prominent figures in the industry.