Talking about printing

 Jarrolds of Norwich print

Jarrolds’ printing history is one of the most important parts of Norwich’s industrial story — the company was a major printer, publisher, and later the founder of the John Jarrold Printing Museum.

Below is a clear, structured overview of the printing side of Jarrolds, drawn directly from historical sources.

🖨️ 1. How Jarrolds became a printing powerhouse

Jarrolds didn’t begin as a printer — the family started as grocers and drapers in Woodbridge in 1770. Printing arrived later, when John Jarrold II set up a press in 1815 after farm prices collapsed. He moved the business to Norwich in 1823, establishing himself as a bookseller, publisher, and printer at 3 Cockey Lane (now London Street).

By 1840, the firm moved to the site of today’s department store and expanded rapidly. Printing became one of the company’s core businesses for more than a century.

🏭 2. The major printing works

Little London Street (opened c. 1860) This was Jarrolds’ main printing works through the Victorian era. It produced newspapers, books, tracts, and commercial print.

St James’ Mill (20th century) Later, printing moved into buildings around St James’ Mill, which became the company’s headquarters. This site is closely associated with the later printing museum.

📚 3. Famous publications

Jarrolds printed and published a huge range of material, including:

• Norfolk News (a forerunner of Archant’s Eastern Daily Press) — printed by Jarrolds from 1853.

• Norwich Tracts, distributed across Britain and the colonies in the hundreds of thousands.

• Black Beauty (first edition, 1878) — one of the most famous children’s books ever published.

These publications made Jarrolds one of the most influential printers in East Anglia.

🏛️ 4. The John Jarrold Printing Museum

Much of Jarrolds’ original printing machinery was preserved and became the John Jarrold Printing Museum (JJPM), founded in 1982 in a medieval friary crypt at Whitefriars.

The museum showcased:

• working letterpress machines

• metal and wooden type

• bindery equipment

• historic printed ephemera

It operated weekly with skilled volunteers until redevelopment forced relocation. The collection is now under the Norwich Printing Museum, with a smaller working display at Blickling Estate.

🛍️ 5. The end of Jarrolds’ printing operations

In 2005, Jarrolds sold its printing and publishing arm to focus on retail and property. This ended nearly 190 years of printing history in Norwich — but the legacy survives through the museum and the company archives.

📌 If you want, I can also cover:

• A timeline of Jarrolds printing from 1815–2005

• What printing looked like inside Little London Street

• The story of Black Beauty’s publication

• How the museum operated in the Whitefriars crypt

Which direction would you like to explore next, Michael?