edinburghcityofprint
James Ballantyne and Company Printing Press
Description: Printing Press from the printworks of James Ballantyne and Company, Pauls Work, North Back of Canongate, on which the 'Waverley' novels of Sir Walter Scott were produced. Plaque on press reads '1796 Ballantyne Press, used by Ballantyne in the printing of the Waverley Novels'.
HH 1730/57
Further Notes: Known as the Ballantyne Press it dates from the late 18th Century- a plaque gives the date as 1796, the year when James Ballantyne's first practical connection with printing was established, when he became editor and manager of a new weekly newspaper, the 'Kelso Mail'. James Ballantyne (1772 - 1833) moved his printing business from Kelso to Edinburgh, in 1802, following the success of Scott's 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border'. The firm remained at Paul's Work until 1870 when, due to the Encroachments of the Waverley Railway station, it moved to Newington. A branch was set up in London in 1878 and by 1916 the Edinburgh print works had been discontinued.
History: In 1957 the firm - by then Spottiswoode, Ballantyne and Company of London- gave the press to the V & A Museum who transferred it to Edinburgh in October of that year. The press is currently on display at the Writers' Museum, Lady Stairs Close, Edinburgh
Edinburgh City of Print is a joint project between City of Edinburgh Museums and the Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records (SAPPHIRE). The project aims to catalogue and make accessible the wealth of printing collections held by City of Edinburgh Museums. For more information about the project please visit www.edinburghcityofprint.org
James Ballantyne and Company Printing Press
Description: Printing Press from the printworks of James Ballantyne and Company, Pauls Work, North Back of Canongate, on which the 'Waverley' novels of Sir Walter Scott were produced. Plaque on press reads '1796 Ballantyne Press, used by Ballantyne in the printing of the Waverley Novels'.
HH 1730/57
Further Notes: Known as the Ballantyne Press it dates from the late 18th Century- a plaque gives the date as 1796, the year when James Ballantyne's first practical connection with printing was established, when he became editor and manager of a new weekly newspaper, the 'Kelso Mail'. James Ballantyne (1772 - 1833) moved his printing business from Kelso to Edinburgh, in 1802, following the success of Scott's 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border'. The firm remained at Paul's Work until 1870 when, due to the Encroachments of the Waverley Railway station, it moved to Newington. A branch was set up in London in 1878 and by 1916 the Edinburgh print works had been discontinued.
History: In 1957 the firm - by then Spottiswoode, Ballantyne and Company of London- gave the press to the V & A Museum who transferred it to Edinburgh in October of that year. The press is currently on display at the Writers' Museum, Lady Stairs Close, Edinburgh
Edinburgh City of Print is a joint project between City of Edinburgh Museums and the Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records (SAPPHIRE). The project aims to catalogue and make accessible the wealth of printing collections held by City of Edinburgh Museums. For more information about the project please visit www.edinburghcityofprint.org