Penrith Museum of Printing facts for kids
 |
|
May 2024
|
|
| Established | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Location | Ransley St, Penrith, New South Wales 2750 Australia |
| Type | Printing museum |
| Founder | Alan Connell |
The Penrith Museum of Printing is a special museum in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. It focuses on old Australian letterpress printing machines and how they were used. Letterpress printing is a traditional way of printing where raised letters are inked and then pressed onto paper.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum began in 1987 with a man named Alan Connell. He used to work for a newspaper called The Nepean Times. One day, he saw the old printing machines from the newspaper building. They had been sitting there unused for 25 years!
Alan wanted to save these old machines because they were an important part of history. He asked the owner if he could have them. He stored these machines and later added more letterpress equipment.
The museum officially opened its doors on June 2, 2001. It received help from different groups and a special grant from the Australian government.
Museum Upgrades
In September 2017, the Penrith Museum of Printing closed for a big upgrade. They added 150 square meters of space, which included a new entrance area and a library. This upgrade cost about $130,000 AUD.
The extra space allowed the museum to show even more of its working machines and equipment. The museum reopened in November 2018.
What You Can See at the Museum
The Penrith Museum of Printing has a large collection of letterpress printing machines. The amazing thing is that many of these machines are still working! Some of them are over 150 years old.
The museum's main goal is to have all its equipment ready to run. This way, visitors can see and experience how printing was done in the past.
The museum has several interesting machines from the early 1900s, such as:
- Linotype and Intertype machines, which create lines of text.
- A Columbian press from 1841.
- An Albion press from 1864.
- The Nepean Times Wharfedale stop cylinder press from around 1880.
- Different types of treadle presses like Chandler & Price, Arab, and Pearl.
- A Heidelberg platen press.
- A Miehle vertical cylinder press.
The museum was even featured in the 2018 movie Ladies in Black. It was used to look like the printing room of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Machines and Equipment on Display
Here is a list of some of the machines and equipment you can see at the Penrith Museum of Printing:
| Item | Utilised | Year | Serial Number | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linotype model 5 | line composing | 1902 | The NEV after Neville James who restored it. Believed to come from Colin McPherson, NSW, Australia | |
| Linotype model 8 | line composing | 1922 | 31963 | Nepean Times newspaper 1887–1985, Penrith, NSW, Australia |
| Intertype C3 | line composing | 1935 | 31418 | Saxon Press Commercial Printer, Bexley, NSW, Australia |
| Intertype C4 | line composing | 1942 | 27498 | Donated by Tony Mercier, Mercier Typesetters and was formally owned by Conte & Ruggier.
Used to produce local France newspaper Le Courrier Australien and the France-Australian trade magazine France-Australie |
| Ludlow | type composing | M16742 | ||
| Edwards & Dunlop | proofing press | Sydney, NSW, Australia | ||
| Vandercook | proofing press | 25458 | ||
| Common Press | Wooden hand press | 1770 | donated by Richard Jermyn Eden, NSW, Australia | |
| Columbian | Hand press | 1841 | 937 | Carcoar Chronicle until 1939, donated by Fairfax, NSW, Australia |
| Albion | Hand press | 1864 | 1644 | Donated by Hannanprint, NSW. It was originally owned by Angus & Coote, Jewellers, and used to proof their catalogues before printing until its purchase and restoration by Neil Mulvaney of Champion Press. |
| Wharfedale | Stop cylinder press | ~1880 | Nepean Times newspaper, Penrith, NSW, Australia 1887–1962 | |
| Chandler & Price | Treadle press | |||
| Arab | Treadle press | |||
| Pearl | Treadle press | Saxon Press Commercial Printer, Bexley, NSW, Australia | ||
| Emil Kahle | small hand press | ~1910 | Gearside, Lithgow, NSW, Australia | |
| Adana (several) | small hand press | |||
| Heidelberg platen | automated press | ~1935 | 31834 E | Saxon Press Commercial Printer, Bexley, NSW, Australia |
| Heidelberg platen | automated press | 1966 | T 161604 E | School Graphic Arts, Sydney 1966–2010, Sydney, NSW, Australia |
| Miele vertical | automated press | 1966 | V16033 | |
| Gestener Duplicator SP20 | duplicator | ~1935 | 25458 | Hannanprint, NSW, Australia |
The Museum Library
The Penrith Museum of Printing also has a large collection of books, manuals, and other items related to letterpress printing. These are all available for visitors to look at.
You can't borrow books or items from the museum's collection. However, you are welcome to view or study them during the museum's opening hours.
See also
- The Nepean Times
- List of newspapers in Australia
- Museums and Galleries in NSW, Australia
- Isaacs, Victor, Kirkpatrick, Rod and Russell, John (2004). Australian Newspaper History: A Bibliography
