The Press was originally started by Harold (Hal) Midgley Taylor in 1920, Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire. Robert Gibbings took over the press in 1924.  He made Golden Cockerel books into sumptuous showplaces for many of the wood engravers then working, such as Eric Ravilious, John Nash, Paul Nash, John Farleigh, Agnes Miller Parker, David Jones, and Eric Gill and of course his good self.   The Press’s masterpiece, “The Four Gospels” of 1931 was both the solstice and the sunset of Golden Cockerel under Gibbings. Sadly the economic depression of the early 1930s put an end to his grand ambitions, and in 1933 the Press was once again up for sale.

The yearly covers of the prospectuses bore engraved the striking images of cockerels, following Gibbing’s first trip to Tahiti in 1929 he designed a running cockerel wood engraving. This version was used on the cover of the October prospectus.   The cockerel is on the run with a background of a tropical tree , perhaps symbolic of his feelings at the time for travel and adventure.

By the 1930’s Eric Ravilious was also on the team, he designed several versions of the cockerel too.  Although the press was going through a horrible crisis and shortage of capital Gibbings was able to offer Ravilious another small commission to devise another cockerel in 1931.

“Do you know the comic cockerels they have on the round-abouts? We thought it would be fun to have one of these with a somewhat luscious nude lady on its back as shown in the enclosed very rough sketch.  I think the bird ought to be definitely a robust animal with good strong legs, making a great noise, going at tremendous speed and with a naughty twinkle in its eye and its cone rather suggesting a drunken coronet. The lady should be very luscious and very beautiful ala Tintoretto; the banner she is waving might have my initials. Could you possibly do this for a fiver and the block which I can send you?”

Ravilious in his usual generous manner accepted the offer.   Although Gibbings felt embarrassed and humiliated by having to reduce the fee.

In 1932 Ravilious designed another wood engraving , again humorous and highly decorative.  Gibbings himself is presented as the ring master in top hat and tails next to a giant cockerel on stage.

“Mr Robert Gibbings presents his world famous Golden cockerel in its Eleventh Year in six completely New and Original Numbers”

By 1933 Gibbings was forced to reduce publications by half meeting the distressful times. However Ravilious had already done a sketch of another cockerel for the Spring prospectus and as he felt they had become an institution.  He did the work as a present.  Gibbings gladly accepted the offer and insisted on paying for the wood and sending “ a few books as very small appreciation.”

Finally Gibbings sold the Press to a consortium and much to Gibbing’s disappointment the Golden Cockerel moved to London and “ became more a private publishing house than a private press proper.” He received £750 which covered his debts but was a fraction of what it was worth.  Gibbings spent the following months living a rather solitary life in the Orchard until he met Elizabeth whom he had a baby with. They later moved to a cottage in Cornwall between Falmouth and the mouth of the Helford river.