Welcome to the Bracken Press PRINT-workshop website
Intaglio (etching, drypoint, aquatint)
& block printing & wood engraving
(lino-prints, surface printing) & letterpress
Established 1974.
Albion Press 1869
Table top Harrild & Sons, Fleet Works, London
The advert photograph
Taken apart and on the workshop floor
The main frame and head piece
The chill with patent number
The feet which bolt to the mainframe & stand
Platen, rails, rounce & bed
Tympan, rails,head piece, mainframe,bed and platen
Once cleaned the name 'fools cap' appeared on the tympan brass hinge
The rails after cleaning and painting
The main frame after painting
The head piece after painting
The 'table' or stand with feet attached.
Head piece and rounce
Two newspapers discovered sandwiched in the tympan dating from the 1960's
Recovering the tympan
Reassembled.
The fully restored Harrild & Sons table top Albion Press at `Bracken Press.
History:
The press was purchased new in 1869 for the Failsworth Free Press (near Manchester) it was used for proofing.
The great great great uncle of the last owner purchased the press new in 1869 and in 1980 the press was found deserted in a store room in the original building of the press which was undergoing modernisztion.
The last owner bought the press and moved it to Wales, ( after all it was a familly heirloom).
Circumstances changed and the press was no longer used. I spotted the advert and made a sucessful bid in December 2014.
After a round trip of 580 miles the press arrived back at Bracken Press and the above restoration was undertaken.
I'm only the 3rd owner of the press from new, one piece that was missing from the press is the frisket, so that's the next job to complete.
The press is working fine printing newly created wood engravings.
After refurbishment
