On the first of May, 2015 the Castle Press, a print works, founded in 1860, in my home town closed it’s doors for the last time, ending over a century and a half of continuous working. I was privileged to be granted access to their collection of old wood type that had survived the digital transition, to photograph it, (but sadly not ‘acquire’ it) before the current owners disposed of these relics of a bygone age.
Castle Press No. 1 is redrawn from the photographs of the first of these sets of wood type I was able to document.
The original wood type bears the stamp of Stephenson Blake but I have so far been unable to track down the original name of the face, so my revival is named for the print works where it was found.
Castle Press No. 1 is close to the original but with a few tweaks. Where I have added glyphs, I have tried to stay as true to the feel of the original as possible. Limited language support, not present in the original is included.
Ornaments, found elsewhere in the wood type collection are available as stylistic alternates in opentype aware apps and through the glyphs palette or Character Map depending on OS or app you’re using (refer to your OS or app documentation for details).
Because I have recreated Castle Press No. 1 to rescue it from a dusty drawer & an uncertain fate and to preserve it for the future, it is served free for personal use and ‘as is’ . If you like Castle Press No. 1, please feel free to make a ‘domestic brew’ sized donation to the ‘buy the author a beer fund’ using the donate button. For commercial use, should you find one for it, a donation should be considered as mandatory.
Enjoy!
Pil
