Halfway up Richmond Hill, you'll find a fascinating example of Art Deco design, the 1930s Daily Echo building. It was originally built as the headquarters for a bustling newspaper business. Walk into Albert Road to find the towering windows of the old press hall where tens of thousands of newspapers were printed each day.
After dark, you might catch a glimpse of the elegant stairwell illuminated by huge dangling tube lights.
An Art Deco gem
This Grade II listed Art Deco building opened as the headquarters of the local Daily Echo newspaper in January 1934. The design, by architects Seal and Hardy, used half a million bricks and large quantities of stone. The sandstone color and leaded windows on the stairwell reveal influences from ancient Egypt, while the exterior curves and lines nod to the bows of great ocean liners.
In the print hall slugs of lead type were produced on fifteen two ton linotype machines and, as newspapers then were regularly bought by many households, circulation expanded as the town’s population increased.
Modernising the Presses
By 1960 it was necessary to modernise and accommodate even larger presses that weighed significantly more. The foundations had to be strengthened with a concrete basement running the length of the building, reinforced concrete walls, and a concrete raft to support the load of two new, massive 130-ton presses. When these presses rolled there was a rumbling sound and the whole building seemed to shudder.
Times have changed, and although a few reporters still work in the building, the presses have gone. Digital technology has revolutionized how newspapers are produced and consumed.
The building, once bustling with printers, compositors, subeditors, advertising representatives, reporters, and photographers, has now been converted into shared workspace. The vast press hall remains, complete with a small balcony where the press foreman once oversaw the printing of the Echo.
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