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A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE
A History of the Aberdeen and Northern Counties Printing
Industry
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Northern Counties - Forfar
When John McPherson died in 1953, the firm became a limited company
in which H. McC. Johnstone played a leading role. New premises were
built at 1-3 St James Road, which being on one floor permitted a
much-improved work-flow. The new editor was Arthur Donaldson and
subsequent editors were Norrie Millar, Alex Shand and lain Wallace.
The title was sold in 1975 to the Kirkcaldy firm, Strachan and Livingston,
and the format of the paper changed from broadsheet to tabloid.
Then followed a move to new premises at 106 East High Street. In
1982 the newspaper was sold again, this time to the then editor,
lain Wallace, and the advertising manager, Alistair McSkimming.
The Dispatch continued to be pub-lished in Forfar but was printed
for a period by the Montrose Review Press where web offset facilities
were available. With the acquisition of E & D Nicoll’s
joinery premises in Craig O’Loch Road, Forfar, the firm - now
Angus County Press - installed its own web offset press. The additional
capacity has enabled the company to undertake the printing of several
other titles, notably The Brechin Advertiser.
After the sale of the Dispatch in 1975, the firm of Oliver McPherson
continued with their commer-cial printing activities, but in 1981
it was sold to George Jolly, bookbinders and paper rulers, of Aberdeen.
Ten years later David Winter & Son of Dundee acquired George
Jolly and at the same time took over Oliver McPherson Ltd. The latter
has recently moved from their long-time base in St James Road to
new retail premises in East High Street.
It is thought that The Forfar Review and Strathmore Advertiser was
first published in 1888 and appeared weekly, on Fridays, price one
half penny. It was printed and published by John Macdonald at his
printing office in Post-Office Entry, 10 East High Street. The only
other known owner of the paper was Mrs Margaret Macdonald in the
1920s. She was probably still in charge when, as mentioned earlier,
the Review and The Forfar Herald co-operated to produce a local
newspaper during the General Strike in 1926, soon after which, the
Review amalgamated with the Herald.
The merged newspaper lasted only a further five years, after which
it was taken over by The Angus Herald. The first issue of the new
newspaper, which appeared on Friday 5 September 1930, consisted
of 24 pages. It was printed in Perth and published by the proprietors,
The Munroe Press, at 36 Castle Street, Forfar, price one penny.
It was announced with much publicity as ‘Forfarshire’s
Weekend Illustrated Newspaper’ and 5000 copies were printed
of the first number.
D. C. Thomson saw the newspaper as a threat to their own publications,
mainly because of its low price of one penny. They launched a vigorous
campaign against the new newspaper in advance of publication including,
it is said, the threat of withholding all their publications from
any newsagent in Forfar who stocked the Herald. The result was that
the first issue of the newspaper was distributed free by newsvendors
on the streets. Although the price was increased to twopence within
a short period, the newspaper was short-lived. On the death of Henry
Munro in 1933, it ceased publication.
In 1974 the Dispatch found itself with a competi-tor with the appearance
of The Forfar Times. This was the brainchild of Jack Meiland who
a few years earlier had taken over The Arbroath Guide and in 1974
The Kirriemuir Free Press. The enter-prise soon encountered financial
difficulties and, when wound up in 1978, this also marked the end
of the Times.
Mention has already been made that the long-established firm of
Oliver McPherson, now a subsidiary of David Winter & Son Ltd,
Dundee, continues to trade at its new location in East High Street.
However, two letterpress printers were in business in Forfar much
earlier than Oliver McPherson during the last century according
to Pigot’s Directory of Scotland 1825-26. They were Alex Anderson
in Coutties Close and Peter Rankin & Co in Castle Street. No
details are known of those companies except it is thought the former
closed down in March 1848 when Alex Anderson died, aged 56.
Another Forfar printer who began in the last century was William
Shepherd, then located at 39 Castle Street. It has not been possible
to establish exactly when the business started but an advertisement
in The Forfar Herald of 1896 indicates it was trading in that year.
For a time the firm undertook much of the printing required by the
county council and it had the distinction of being patronised by
H.R.H. The Duchess of York, now her Majesty The Queen Mother. One
of the senior members of Shepherd’s staff, J.N. Strachan, is
credited with playing a leading role in the setting up of printing
classes at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee.
Today, in addition to those provided by The Forfar Dispatch, the
town’s printing requirements are served by Oliver McPherson,
Neil Robertson and A. & A. Slinger.
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Volume 3 published 1996
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