One
of the closest places to experience letterpress printing is at the Black
Country Living Museum, who have their own print shop, producing bespoke items
for use in the Museum.
“You
might be expecting a high street jobbing printers, but actually 'our' exhibit
was operated from an ordinary garden shed. Besides a small Cropper 'Peerless'
clamshell type press, all we have is a small proofing press, a couple of the
ubiquitous Adana tabletop presses (see http://www.adanaprintingmachines.co.uk/?gclid=CNqAw6y2gawCFQ8ntAodKUfnKw) and a label maker. Even so, I think the range of work produced over the past five years, since the exhibit was opened, will impress you.” said Stephen
Howard Assistant Curator Black Country Living Museum.
The print shop at the Museum was originally located behind an ordinary house, 1 Laburnam
Road Bilston, the workshop was built in 1936 by Mr Robert James to house some
type benches and a press he bought second hand . For nearly 60 years he used
his home and this shed as a base for printing, photography, poster design and
sign painting, supplementing his wage as a compositor at Wilkes Ltd printers in
Bilston. He was 80s he was still going out to meet his customers on a battered
old bicycle.
Mr James had trained at Bilston Art College,
then, he served a traditional apprenticeship at Wooley’s (est 1913), another
Bilston printers still trading to this day.
The shed and its contents were donated to the
museum by Mr James’ family in 1998
“Ken
Dworak, our printer, has benefited from expert tuition by a local printer in
Gordon Street Wolverhampton, John Neave, who was taught traditional typesetting
at Wolverhampton College of Art. John is still in business today and does
letterpress work from time to time using his beloved Heidelberg” Stephen Howard
continued.
To
find out more about Wolverhampton printer John Neave visit:
Images
from
The
Museum is offering Visual Communication students reduced entry fee of £7.10, on
production of student identification card. The print workshop is open on
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
For
more information about the museum visit:
At time of posting, The
Black Country Living Museum is investigating the possibility of running a
specialist letterpress workshop for Visual Communications students. More detail
to follow.
