Press now open at 151 High Street, Lewes

Exhibition of prints and books by Dmitry Sayenko


Amanda Dean, Mayor of Lewes, opening the Press

Again, what a hectic few weeks it's been! The Tom Paine Printing Press was officially opened in early December in its new premises at 151 High Street, Lewes (opposite the Bull House and Westgate Chapel), by Amanda Dean, the Mayor of Lewes. This is a perfect location, as Tom paine lived and worked in Bull House, and was married to Elizabeth Ollive in the Westgate Chapel, the marriage being legalised at St Michael's Church - only a stone's throw away. So we have three Tom Paine sites close by, and the White Hart, where Paine attended Headstrong Club meetings, just down the High Street. And of course there's also the bowling green at the Castle, where Paine played bowls with William Lee, who printed his pamphlet 'The Case of the Officers of Excise'.

The Printing Press now has a shop and gallery (Press Gallery) on the premises as part of its operations, the idea being that these will generate income to support the press. We are selling a range of, mostly printed, items related to Tom paine, and also small press books, artists' books, and hand-made prints (etchings, woodcuts, collagraphs, linocuts, lithographs), cards, etc.

The first exhibition (see photo at top) was of prints and artist's books by the Russian artist Dmitry Sayenko, from St Petersburg. He produces very powerful woodcut and linocut images, often combining them with typeset text, or with text which he cuts by hand into the block.

Tom Paine Printing Press moves to Lewes High Street

What a hectic summer it's been! The Tom Paine Festival in July, printing Paine's 'Case of the Officers of Excise' (limted edition of 30 copies) in August, Lewes's Artwave Festival in September and more printing in October (including Paine and Lewes Bonfire broadsides).

The opportunity has come up to move the Tom Paine Printing Press to a shop in Lewes High Street - No.151, opposite the Bull House where Paine used to live and work, and the Westgate Chapel (Unitarian) where he was married. I'm therefore moving the Press from the Market Tower (with grateful thanks to Lewes District Council for providing the space there since the end of June). It will take me several weeks to complete the move, as I have to dismantle the wooden 'common press' very carefully, and re-erect it in the new premises.

The High Street shop will be called 'PRESS', and will also act as a retail outlet for the Press's products, and also for prints and artists' books by local and other artists and printmakers.

I was very fortunate to be given a printer's 'random' or cabinet for typecases, by Graham Moss of the Incline Press, along with some type and other equipment. I also obtained some more type - metal and wooden - from the now-closed Printing House museum in Cockermouth (north end of the Lake District). I'm still very short of the 18th Century 'Caslon Old Face' type, so if anyone out there has any to dispose of . . . ? Or indeed any metal or wooden type.