Ashendene Press

The printing press was originally set up in Hornby's father's estate, Ashendene, where his sisters, brother, and cousin could assist in printing the press' first books. Printing was a hobby for Hornby; he undertook the project solely for the pleasure it would bring him. Hornby moved the Ashendene Press with him when he moved to Shelley House, Chelsea, London in 1899. It closed for five years in 1915 but resumed printing from 1920 until 1935.

Hornby was greatly influenced and inspired by the work of the Kelmscott Press and the Doves Press, both in his decision to start the Ashendene Press and in his artistic choices. These three presses are considered part of the Private Press Movement and the larger Arts and Crafts Movement in England at the end of the 19th century, though for Hornby, printing was always a hobby to be enjoyed rather than a venue for reform. Each of these presses produced books that were considered works of art, though the Ashendene Press produced books of excellent quality inspired by fifteenth-century printing practices.

The wood engraver William Harcourt Hooper worked for them from about 1896. Edward Prince, who also worked with the Kelmscott and Doves presses, cut types for Ashendene. Emery Walker worked with Hornby to design the press' two original types. Hornby worked with Sydney Cockerell to analyze the historic typefaces on which the Ashendene Press faces were based. Eric Gill, Graily Hewitt, Charles Gere, and Gwen Raverat were other artists who worked for the press. The illustrator Florence Kingsford Cockerell illuminated an Ashendene edition of The Song of Songs Which Is Solomon's in 1901, varying the designs for each of the 40-odd copies in the edition.

Hornby used Albion presses. He used paper from J. Batchelor & Sons and vellum from H. Band & Co. Ashendene books were bound by Zaehnsdorf initially and later were done by the W. H. Smith bindery.

The press' main customers were book collectors who paid for a subscription for Ashendene books. In addition to his impressive books, Hornby was known to print announcements, menus, and Christmas cards. Before the press closed in 1935, Hornby printed a farewell notice to his subscribers announcing that A Descriptive Bibliography of the Books Printed at the Ashendene Press would be the last book. Bridwell Library now holds archives for the Ashendene Press in their special collections, a collection that includes papers, original designs, manuscripts, correspondence, ledgers, and folios.