Village font

"In the 1960s British TV show, an adapted version of Berthold Wolpe’s  Albertus  was used on everything from titles to signs and props. Many of these were hand rendered. The key adaptations were the removal of the dots from ‘i’s and ‘j’s, and ‘e’s that had an uncial feel to them — although occasionally standard ‘e’s snuck in too. I don’t currently know who created all the signs, though the show’s art director was a chap called Jack Shampan."

The typeface was designed by Berthold Wolpe. Born in Germany, Wolpe had apprenticed at a metalworkers, becoming proficient at engraving in gold, copper and silver. He travelled to England in 1932, where he met Stanley Morison. Morison saw some photographs of a set of Wolpe's bronze inscriptions, and asked him to create a typeface for Monotype based on the lettering. So in 1935, Monotype Series No. 324 was born: Albertus Titling.

Berthold Wolpe designed Albertus™ from 1932 to 1940, with Albertus Titling being released first, and the lowercase a few years later. Stanley Morison commissioned the face for Monotype in England and named it after Albert the Great, medieval scientist and philosopher. Wolpe based the type on the lettering he did on bronze tablets. Such inscriptions were made by cutting back the ground around the letters and shaping them from the outside of their forms, rather than the inside, as incised letters in stone are done. Wolpe said his technique made for bold simplicity and reduced the serifs to a bare minimum. This sharp chisel stroke at the terminations of the main strokes was said to make the alphabet stand midway between classical letters and the modern sans serif. Albertus™ is available in three weights, and makes a strong graphic statement of originality and integrity.

REFERENCES

https://www.wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2015/02/albertus-and-the-prisoner/

https://www.theprisoneronline.com/free-downloads-topmenu-31/52-the-village-font