The Express newspaper was founded in Bacchus Marsh in 1866. From 1870 it was produced in this two-storey building in Church Street Bacchus Marsh. The first issue was published on Saturday 7th July 1866. The first issues of the Express were produced in the house of its proprietor George Lane. This house can be seen at the rear of the two-storey building in this image. Around 1889 the size of the building was doubled. The Express was initially started and operated by a syndicate of local businessmen. After only a few months the syndicate ceased and George Lane a printer and his future son-in-law Christopher Crisp took over the ownership and operation of the Express. The Crisp family were associated with the Express for over 100 years. It was both a newspaper and printing business. The Express building was in use as a newspaper and printing business until the early 1980s. Since the 1980s the building has been used for a variety of retail and commercial purposes. The original printing equipment used by the Express is still present in the building and the site has been listed as a site of state heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register.Small sepia unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the album, 'Photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by Stevenson and McNicoll'. The image depicts the Bacchus Marsh Express building in 1883. It shows a two-storey building with a pitched roof and front verandah. Five men stand in front of the building facing the camera. On the first left is George Lane one of the proprietors. Second from the left is Christopher Crisp, the co-proprietor and editor of the Express. The other three men are unidentified but are possibly employees of the Express. The house on the right belonged to George Lane. The house to the left of the building belonged to Christopher Crisp. All three buildings remain in Bacchus Marsh in 2024.On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE. newspapers, bacchus marsh express, christopher crisp 1844-1915, printers, george lane 1823-1899

The former Christopher Crisp residence was constructed in 1868 by William Watson, one of the members of the Bacchus Marsh Express printing company which took over the management of The Express after the first edition, 7 July 1866, was published by its founder, George Lane, a book binder. This syndicate failed after three months and the ownership was then taken over by Christopher Crisp, a compositor working for the company. Crisp remained the editor from 1866 to his death in 1915, when he was succeeded by his son, also called Christopher Crisp, and later by his grandson. Under the Crisp family leadership, The Express widened its readership and was subscribed to by influential men and public servants in Melbourne. (Heritage Victoria Council. Places. Entry no. 45.)Small sepia unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the album, 'Photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by Stevenson and McNicoll'. The photograph is of a single-storey cottage of rendered brick and sandstone with a shingled roof of slate tiles and ornate concave verandah. A chimney stands at either end of the house. A carved barge board decorates the northern end of the hip roof. A skillion with windows and a chimney adjoins the rear of the cottage. The front facade is symmetrical with two sash windows placed either side of the central door. A wire fence runs along the front of the cottage. Standing at the gate is a formally dressed gentleman wearing a top hat. A young child is standing on the road. This child is possibly Christopher Crisp, Jnr., who later took over the role of editor of the Bacchus Marsh Express in 1915 on the death of his father. At the time of this photo, he would have been 4 years old. On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE. stevenson and mcnicoll 1883 photographs of bacchus marsh and district, houses bacchus marsh, christopher crisp 1844-1915