Roy Brachet, a Linotype operator on the paper for 25 years, took these pictures on the day of the last hot metal edition of the London Evening Standard.
Frank Matthews, main display ad setterPeter Knight, Peter Merchant and Frank Matthews againSays Roy: “what the rest of us who stayed post-hot metal got lumbered with: Notice the Lino keyboards specially made for us dumb-clucks who had never typed on a querty one.”The last hot metal headlines, typical of the period (1980)About that bagpiper: Eric Neller, one of our younger operators. I think he was booted out of the Dagenham Girl Pipers and was glad of this gigJournalists at the stoneLast-minute corrections – “I’m sure there’s a journalist touching the type on this pic, it was always very much frowned upon.” – D.H.Off the stoneFinal pagesSending it offDecorated comp roomGathering under the clock
Yeah, I worked on a “provincial” morning paper in the North East of Eng. These pictures evoke memories of when we put the last hot metal paper to bed before those horrible “tellies with querty keyboards” took over. You are right – Subs weren’t allowed to touch hot metal, we would have walked out over that. Happy days!!!
Also…. If I remember correctly, film make-up and hot metal were run along side each other for a while. Small ads, lineage, home page and feature pages were photo-typeset and plates made of them ready for strapping to the presses. It seems so long ago (1986!!) me memory’s fading!!!
I was a compositor working ‘on the stone’ at the Daily Expess in Manchester, and these photos brought back some wonderful memories. Not just The ‘old technology’ but also the true companionship that existed within chapels at that time. That was something else that died along with hot metal production.
Marvellous work Dave. Thank you.
Great pics from the past. Well done Roy and Dave.
Yeah, I worked on a “provincial” morning paper in the North East of Eng. These pictures evoke memories of when we put the last hot metal paper to bed before those horrible “tellies with querty keyboards” took over. You are right – Subs weren’t allowed to touch hot metal, we would have walked out over that. Happy days!!!
Also…. If I remember correctly, film make-up and hot metal were run along side each other for a while. Small ads, lineage, home page and feature pages were photo-typeset and plates made of them ready for strapping to the presses. It seems so long ago (1986!!) me memory’s fading!!!
Very interesting. Thanks. BTW – What was the date of the hot to cold type conversion at the London Evening Standard?
Roy thinks it was around 1980.
I was a compositor working ‘on the stone’ at the Daily Expess in Manchester, and these photos brought back some wonderful memories. Not just The ‘old technology’ but also the true companionship that existed within chapels at that time. That was something else that died along with hot metal production.