Irwin & McLaren closes after 150 years

The meltdown in Melbourne is continuing, with craft bookbinding house Irwin & McLaren closing its business 150 years after first opening its doors.

The company was founded in 1871 by Jim McLaren. It moved to its present Cubitt St, Richmond premises 90 years later in 1961. The McLaren family continued to be involved.

The company was a leading practitioner of the art of bookbinding combining “a deep respect for the traditional crafts of paper manufacture and binding with the best of today’s technology and wisdom.”