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Wigan Observer Rowbottom Square 1966
Wigan Observer Rowbottom Square 1966
Photo: Colin Harlow
Views: 2,468
Item #: 17943
L to R, Les Fishwick, Cliff Roper, Tom Harlow, Malc Dawson and David Taylor pose on the 21 January 1966, for it's the very last edition for the Wigan Observer at Rowbottom Square. This Victory-Kidder printing press now in a Museum, dates back to 1869. The machine bought by the founder Thomas Wall in 1884, from the Liverpool daily post and echo for £1,000. It's estimated to have printed hundreds of millions of Observers in 82 years of operation in Wigan.
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Comment by: Duncan on 15th June 2011 at 09:47

Which museum is the press in Colin?

Comment by: Colin Harlow on 15th June 2011 at 11:10

Duncan, the main chunk of the machine that dates back to 1869, is on show in the National Science Museum in south kensington, London. The printing gallery called "The Making of the Modern World" opened in June, 2000.
Although the Museum said the Victory-Kidder illustrated a great step in the history of printing, it lacked space and finance to display the complete machine. It is considered to be the oldest and finest specimen of its kind, an outstanding example if British craftsmanship. Other parts of the press the Museum want to preserve remain in pieces in the reserve store in Swindon in Wiltshire.

Comment by: Malcolm Ryding on 16th April 2012 at 17:28

On my first Friday at the Obby as a junior reporter I had to go into the cellar to collect the editorial copies. Malc Dawson and Dave 'Budge' Taylor up-ended me and swept the cellar floor with my hair ... that was when I had some!

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