Very interesting. My stepfather worked for what was Eastern Counties Newspapers for most of his life. He was a Process Engraver which roughly translates into producing pictures in newspapers, for the printing presses. All sorts of cropping and resizing to get the pictures the correct column widths to go with articles and reports in the papers. He retired long before computers took over his role!
Thanks for this video, John. I worked in the advertising department in the 1980s, when ECN and the EDP in particular still played a significant role in Norwich and Norfolk's daily life. I was proud to be part of something that people valued, and to work with a great team of people, too. Great memories 😊
You have made my mothers day .At 84 she loves what you do and her father grandfather and brother were all lino type printers at the Press She worked there as did my father and cousin Rob who was a reporter later joining Sky news .Sadly my nephew Ben (who i believe you may be acquainted with) was made redundant from Argent in the recent changes ,Thank you.
Thank you - this type of comment makes my day too! I'm sorry to hear about Ben. He was doing such a great job. I think I once told him that would have been my ideal job. I hope he's ok.
Very interesting as my late uncle Cliff Butler was the editor of the Norwich Mercury until his death in 1981. I remember visiting his office in Redwell Street where one of his staff Keith Skipper the well known Norfolk author from Cromer lives, also now a close friend.
Another great idea and a lovely insight into the history of Norwich John. Thank you as always. Since you mention the sculpture outside Prospect House, artists and sculptors throughout the ages from Michael Angelo to present day wallpaper pattern designers have occasionally produced amusing and sometimes rather rude tounge-in-cheek artworks in order dupe the general populace. This sculpture is no exception and it's true representation has escaped most people since it was installed many years ago.
My late father George Ling worked for Eastern Counties Newspapers as a compositor from 1948 after he left the army till he retired in 1989. He originally worked on the EDP which was printed at the works in Redwell Street. He was eventually in charge of the department. I remember visiting the works as a lad and experiencing the thunder of the presses, the clatter of the linotypes and the smell and heat of the hot metal used to make the type. Remember the lorries and vans backing up to the loading bays in Redwell Street and the bundles of EDP's and EEN's being loaded to go to the wholesalers and shops. The printing moved to Prospect House (there were huge presses behind the offices) before being outsourced. He was chairman of the social club and was active in the establishment of the social club just across the road from Prospect House (cant remember the name of the street). The EDP also had an office in Fleet Street, London and Gt Yarmouth, Cromer and Kings Lynn. I know he was very proud to have worked for the press. When I was young he worked from 7pm till 3.30am and when I got up for school there would always be a copy of the EDP with the latest news to read at breakfast time. He worked 5 nights a week with a rolling night off which meant that once a month he would have a long weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun). In those days the only nights the press didnt work was Saturdays (no Sunday paper) and Xmas Eve (no paper Xmas Day) and Maunday Thursday (no paper Good Friday). In fact the social club had their annual dance and dinner at The Norwood Rooms every Maunday Thursday. Late in his career he transferred to days and worked on the EEN. The one paper you didnt mention which I remember well was "The Pinkun" which came out on Saturday evenings with all the football news. I suspect it no longer exists. Apolgies for the long post
No need for an apology, that's all fascinating. I really appreciate the details you've given. Yes, of course, the Pink Un! Still amazes me how they got that out so quickly! It notionally exists as part of the EDP, and on line.
A video to make you think John, back to the day when the written word was king. I was surprised at the low circulation figure of the EDP, no wonder they are trying to push people to subscribe online. On one hand you have people like yourself, making excellent video's online, which will record the history of our city. But i suspect a lot of your research is via the written word, which as a lover of history and books I do not want to see disappear. I think your title of this video is very apt. Cheers
Thank you Dave. Books and newspapers etc are tangible, and I was an avid reader of the EDP in the past. Sadly I feel the per is now a shadow of its former self. And I can't see it turning around, so it will end up only available online. Sad.
Another great video - don’t know how the EDP and EEN still exist with such a small circulation. Do you know where they are printed now? Surely a garden shed in Dussindale would probably be big enough 😂
Thanks for this, I guess the EDP & EEN won’t be around much longer as they are now very poor. I was a regular reader for many years, but when I met one of the reporters one day who didn’t know where Barrack Street was and on another occasion saw the same article on different pages, decided it was not worth buying….
