Blast from the past: The typewriter

​​In bygone days journalists as this venerable newspaper would have composed their stories on typewriters – but along came computers and those hefty lumps of metal soon became obsolete.
By Helen McGurk
Published 9th Feb 2023, 18:49 BST
Updated 9th Feb 2023, 18:49 BST
Typewriters might have been clunky, but they had charmTypewriters might have been clunky, but they had charm
Typewriters might have been clunky, but they had charm

Typewriters were clunky and cumbersome. There was the faff of rolling in sheets of paper, getting covered in ink from the ribbons, fiddling about with carbon paper to make copies, the keys sticking, Tipp-Ex to paint over mistakes, on and on went the annoyances, and yet there was something romantic and alluring about typewriters.

Typewriters were not only the trusty companions of secretaries, clerks and journalists, but also writers, poets and intellectuals.

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We can imagine the semi-circle of letter-headed hammers pecking out some great work of art. The the ting of bells, the whoosh as the paper is pulled from between two rubbery rollers, then perhaps scrunched up and chucked in a wastepaper basket, as the frustrated scribe paces around their lonely garret, then begins again, feeding in new hope with a fresh sheet of paper.

Typewriters also look really cool, which is probably why they have enjoyed a resurgence in recent times with hipsters.

But with slick computers in offices and homes across the land, it’s unlikely the masses will revert to type any time soon.

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