National Trust properties are never straightforward places to work.
We were contacted regarding a large Cropper platen press at Sissinghurst Castle — a site closely associated with Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. The house and gardens have long been part of England’s literary and cultural landscape, and are often linked — directly or indirectly — with figures such as Virginia Woolf.
The press itself was believed to have belonged to Woolf, and was located in the tower, above the writing room — an atmospheric setting, though less than ideal when structural repairs to the ceiling became necessary.
What followed is best told in Giles Hovendon’s own words:
“Over a glorious two days in the summer, I endured the company of Guy and Patrick in a rented log cabin near to the castle, and we dismantled the press, carried it down a spiral staircase and rebuilt it in a building in the grounds.”
The task itself was far from simple.
Moving a large platen press is one thing; negotiating a confined spiral staircase within a historic tower is quite another. Every component must be handled carefully, both for its own preservation and for that of the building around it.
The entire process was filmed by a production company and may yet appear on television — another layer in the continuing story of presses and the places they inhabit.
Written for Printmaking World, 2024 — if you would like to find out more about this or any other article, please email: info@printmaking.world
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