Baskerville's Body: in search of Birmingham's most well travelled corpse

Join Jen Dixon for a macabre Halloween walk following the remarkable posthumous journey of Birmingham's greatest printer.

John Baskerville is remembered as one of the finest printers of the eighteenth century (the still popular "Baskerville" font is his design). He began life as a stonecutter before making his fortune as a japanner. He turned to printing in middle age, revolutionising the craft with his elegant typefaces, innovative inks, and beautifully produced books, including John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Baskerville did not become any less interesting after his death. He was neither an atheist (though vehemently anti-clergy) nor committed to any particular doctrine, and he chose to be buried in unconsecrated ground in the garden of his home at Easy Hill. As Birmingham expanded and changed around him, his coffin was repeatedly disinterred, stored, displayed, transported and reburied, embarking on a journey of more than a century before finally coming to rest in Warstone Lane Cemetery.

This evening walk traces the unlikely travels of Birmingham's most well-travelled corpse, and ends at Warstone Lane Cemetery where we'll make our own printed works.

This event is part of Walkspace's Autumn Season.

PAY WHAT YOU FEEL. Walkspace doesn't receive any regular funding but it costs money and a great deal of time and effort to keep this show on the road. If you are in a position to please donate what you can, however no one will be denied a place due to lack of funds. Walkspace members may determine their own discount.