Alan May (left) and Peter Chasseaud (right) set up a working model of an 18th C printing press.

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The Tom Paine Printing Press, made by Alan May, is the result of Peter Chasseaud's project to set up a working 18th Century style wooden Common Press in Lewes, Sussex. It was completed in time for the July 2009 Lewes festival to commemorate the bicentenary of Paine’s death. It is housed in the environment of an 18th century print room, with type cases, cabinets, frames and the compositor’s ‘stone’. Posters, broadsheets, pamphlets and books are printed on the press, which is also used to show the complexities of letterpress technology and the crucial importance of the printed word in disseminating ideas.

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Size: 5029px × 3341px
Location: Lewes, Sussex, England UK Britain
Photo credit: © Roger Bamber / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 18c, ball, balls, common, compositors, early, fashioned, festival, historic, ink, inking, letterpress, lewes, men, paine, press, printers, printing, thomas, tray, type, uk, wooden