Cofiwch nad yw Cymru ar werth

Writer Richard King tells us about our recent collaboration: a letterpress print to accompany his latest book with Faber.

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This print lists some of the key events in recent Welsh history, which are the subject of my new book Brittle With Relics, A History of Wales 1962 -97.

In the early 1960s, the author and academic Meic Stephens painted the words ‘Cofiwch Drweryn’ on a stone wall near Llanrhystud, Ceredigion. Stephens created the graffiti in response to the decision of Liverpool City Council to flood the village of Capel Celyn, Trywern, North Wales in order to build a reservoir to pump water to the city.

The phrase Cofiwch Dryweryn (the D in Dryweryn is a mutation of the proper noun Tryweryn’s T) is now synonymous with a renewed sense of small ‘n’ national self-confidence and is ubiquitous in parts of Wales; a professional graffiti artist I know receives regular commissions from primary schools to create murals of the phrase on exteriors walls and playgrounds. 

Translated into English the print reads: 

Remember Trerweryn
Remember Aberfan
Remember The Miners’ Strike
Remember Devolution
Remember Wales Is Not For Sale

This final phrase uses ‘Nad’ rather than the more familiar ‘nid’ as ‘Cofiwch’ is used here in the imperative.

Historically a sense of assertiveness in our country has been dismissed as ‘Welsh Nationalism’.

The phrase ‘Welsh Optimism’ seems closer to the energy now circulating within Wales.

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Nick tells us about the print

The print uses a new Fenner paper called Paperwise natural, it has a nice smooth surface which work wells on the proofing press with the letterpress process.

I like the idea of constructing a typographic print by feel and eye. In other words, not planning on a computer (which we do with some work) but constructing it directly on the press. It felt like the typography should be clear and bold, so using the two colours felt appropriate, and also links the print visually with the book.

We used Gill Sans Regular 6 line wood type, that is great to use as you can build it with the 6 line Resolite furniture and it’s a fun (lego-like) process. It was printed on the FAG 40 proofing press which is always great to work with and easy and quick for an edition like this.

It’s been important for us to work on less ephemeral work where we can, and Brittle with Relics is an important book at an important time. Community is always important, and I think that this book and the meaning behind this print is founded on strong community. For me, you could also substitute community for socialism. Work like this comes from the heart.

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Richard King will be discussing his book at Friendly Records on Thursday 7 April (Tickets for Bristol) and at The Social in London Friday 8 April (Tickets for London) as part of his book tour. Information for other events via Richard’s Instagram.

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The print is 670x350mm and is available from our online shop for £25 + P&P.

Letterpress Billboard

Letterpress printed posters celebrating the local businesses of St Philip’s Marsh in Bristol being pasted up for Bristol Open Doors 2021.

This has been a lovely public art project in collaboration with Pete Insole and Nat Roberton from Bristol City Council to give a Victorian makeover to local businesses in the area. Using the finest of our wood type collection and engraved blocks each poster has been printed on a range of gorgeous GF Smith colours using the FAG Swiss Proof 40 press.

We love that the type and blocks we have used would have been used for just this purpose at some point in the past. We couldn’t be prouder to be part of this project.

Tranquility and bird song: tinkering with lead and wood type and the thud of a printing press.

We've been wrestling with the new found tranquility of the city alongside the panic of how we're all going to get through this in one piece. Ellen and I have been in this little corner of the Old City of Bristol for seven years now. We have quietly been collecting and sorting type, restoring and operating presses. We've been working with and alongside lots of amazing people both in workshops and by creating print. We've also collaborated with lots of friends; other printers, poets, musicians and artists. It's been a lot of work and a lot of fun. At the moment, as you probably know, we can't run workshops for the foreseeable future. We are trying to look at how and when that might change, but for now we rely of commissions and selling print from our shop. We are very grateful to all the people who have helped by buying stuff from the shop already and we are adding new things each week. Please take a look, we've worked at having a bunch of things from £5 up to £150. Thank you again, it really is what is keeping the printshop going, we look forward to seeing you here again, hopefully not too far off now.

Our little credit card sized guide to the history of Universal Suffrage, is £5 (free P&P) and is a must for anyone lucky enough to have the vote, as well as essential for the suffrage round of a pub quiz (they'll be back soon). Our luggage label set is a fairly random use of the amazing Victorian ironmonger wood engravings in our collection again £5 inc P&P. The playing cards are illustrated by our good friend Jeb Loy Nichols. Each card is illustrated with a country soul legend and the pack was printed by our own legend, Ellen Bills on the death defying Heidelberg Windmill press. You can see them in action here. The Move Slow and Mend Things print is a collaboration with friends, Joe and Cally who had spotted an opportunity to offer a response to the evil giant, Facebook who adopted the phrase Move Fast and Break Things. Our print is A3 and printed slowly on the FAG40 proofing press with our battered wood type and is in the shop for £15 plus P&P.

We just have a handful of each of these left now: The print of the Bristol's Old City (where we are based) is from a walking map (also in the shop) and illustrated by Simon Tozer. It is 380x560mm and printed on Somerset Satin and costs £30 plus P&P. "No One Can Own a River" is scratched on a sign telling you when and where you can walk alongside a stretch of the Wye. The phrase is detailed in our friend Richard King's book The Lark Ascending. The print costs £15 plus P&P and is 282x670mm, it makes good use of some lovely old river blocks by Jon McNaught. The final print is from Jeb's playing card set (above) and uses a set of the blocks from the playing cards, it is 204x631mm and is £15 plus P&P.

We'll see you soon, meanwhile thanks for you support.

Photography of print shop Lily Watts.

Move Slow and Mend Things

At this time of lockdown, isolation and distancing it is especially comforting to be collaborating with Cally and Joe Schofield and print these wise words with some of our treasured wood type. This is a response to Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook “Move Fast and Break Things”, just an alternative point of view worth considering.

Posters are A3, letterpress printed on a cotton-based 175gsm off white paper and available in our shop £15 + p&p.