Presstival » Whittington Press

Nestled between Oxford and Cheltenham is Whittington, a small cotswold village that is home to The Whittington Press. This family-run printing press has been active since 1971 and creates traditionally-printed books and posters that are truly unique pieces of art. This year I was lucky enough to attend the annual open day, known as Presstival.

I consider myself a type and print enthusiast, but an amateur one at that, and I must admit that I found the process of traditional letterpress printing a bit of an enigma. It was a joy to have the opportunity to watch as an old monotype caster created lines of movable type from a pool of glistening molten metal.¬†I’m afraid that the finer details of the engineering involved is still totally beyond my comprehension, but it was brilliant to watch. The Whittington Press have published a wide variety of books and posters over the last 42 years, each is a work of art featuring the illustrations and engravings of many local artists. Many of these were on display, and the press was completely open to wander in and explore. The place is a real treasure trove. There is something so pleasing about running your hand over a book that has been printed on a letterpress;¬†It’s the imprint left from the metal on the paper, and the knowledge that the book you hold in your hand is something that has been skillfully and artfully crafted by another person, it has a real humanistic quality to it that is unusual in a digital age. It’s nice to see that hand-crafted books and posters are having a resurgence of popularity, and I look forward to visiting the Whittington Press again next year.

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