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forerunner of the Private printing presses that flourished in the late
19th Century. In 1809 the business was based on Chiswick Mall with its
first offices at High House since demolished and rebuilt as Orford House.
After eight years at these premises Chiswick Press moved in 1818 to
Chiswick Lane South, taking up residence at College House which stood
next to Westminster School on the eastern corner of the road. It stayed
here until 1852, when it moved to Tooks Court off Chancery Lane. Charles
was seen as an early exponent of recycling as he reused old rope by pulping
the hemp down to produce a paper with a silky finish and also extracted the
tar from it to use as ink. Business prospered at the new building because it
was closer to the river and the draw dock so materials, particularly ship's
rope and then the finished paper, could be easily transported to and from
the awaiting barges on the Thames. The press' biggest turnout was of high
quality pocket books. These were printed on a hand-operated press and were
accompanied by woodcut illustrations, both of which were deemed to be of
the finest quality. Chiswick Press was hugely influential in English printing
and typography and, most notably, published some of the early designs of
William Morris. The press' title pages are still immediately recognisable
for their typographical balance and intelligent use of ornament; the quality
of woodcuts, both in execution (many by Mary Byfield) and printing. Chiswick
Press was also instrumental in the reintroduction of Caslon in to the family
of fonts at the printer's disposal. Charles was succeeded by his nephew, also
called Charles, and their times at the helm are labelled by printing historians
as 'the Uncle' and 'the Nephew periods. The Nephew, printing on his own in
London in the 1820s but in close association with the Uncle, finally took
over control of both plants in 1838. Much of the best work of the Nephew is
associated with William Pickering the publisher, but both Whittinghams printed
for many publishers of the day. Such was the success of Chiswick Press that it
continued to operate until 1962. It is seen as being a pioneering role model
for finely produced volumes and also as a champion for producing useful sized
editions at reasonable prices.
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