For the next few weeks, you can watch a replica 300-year-old printing press being used in central London to mark a significant anniversary.

The printing press is the sort that Benjamin Franklin, who would later go on to become one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, would have used when he was in London.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of his first visit to London when he was young and seeking work. To mark the tercentenary, the replica printing press has been installed in St Barts the Great church. The church was chosen for the display because back in 1725, the church’s lady chapel was being used by the publisher Samuel Palmer, who gave Franklin his first job in London.

So, in a way, the replica has returned to its ancestral home.

The original printing press, which Franklin used in London in 1725, is now in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, but a replica was made, which is currently owned by the University of Reading.

For the next couple of weeks, it will be at St Barts Church, where hand-press printers will demonstrate how it works. You will also be able to witness the printing of commemorative broadsheets and keepsakes (which, in some cases, can be personalised).

You can even buy them to take home.

The printing press will be in use on the following afternoons:

• Wed 12th Feb
• Sun 16th Feb
• Thur 20th Feb
• Sat 22nd Feb
• Mon 24th Feb
• Wed 26th Feb
• Fri 28th Feb
• Sat 1st Mar
• Sun 2nd Mar

Tickets are available here with payment by donation.

St Bartholemew the Great church is next to St Bart’s Hospital, a few minutes walk from Farringdon tube station. Its gothic interior has appeared in many TV and film shows, so you’ll likely recognise it when you go inside.