View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Daily Telegraph opts for traditional gothic masthead with 160th birthday redesign

By William Turvill

The Daily Telegraph has marked its 160th birthday with a newspaper redesign, which has included reinstating its traditional gothic masthead.

The newspaper also today carries a four-page pull-out on the Telegraph’s history.

Published for the first time as The Daily Telegraph and Courier on 29 June 1855, costing two pence, the newspaper claimed to have “the largest circulation in the world” in 1874.

The Telegraph claims to have printed the first daily crossword in 1925, the first television supplement in 1935 and the first daily national newspaper sports supplement in 1990.

The newspaper’s offices moved from the Strand to 135 Fleet Street in 1860, remaining until 1987 when it moved to Canary Wharf. It has been based in the Victoria area since 2006.

The supplement also documents how The Sunday Daily Telegraph was launched in 1899, lasting seven weeks, and The Sunday Telegraph in 1961.

The daily edition merged with the Morning Post, which was founded in 1772, in 1937, and the newspaper claimed to sell more than 1m copies daily in 1947 and 1,439,000 in 1980. In May this year, the newspaper's circulation was 486,262, down 5 per cent on May 2014.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

In 1994, The Electronic Telegraph became the first national newspaper website. According to ABC, the Telegrapht is now the fourth most popular national newspaper website, claiming an average 4.9m unique daily users in March, up 23 per cent on April and 52 per cent on last May. The Telegraph website  has a metered paywall allowing people to read 20 articles a month for free. The

In a letter to readers today, editor Chris Evans said that in addition to the refreshed masthead – which will be rolled out onto the website and apps – the newspaper also has a new typeface, Austin, for headlines and body text.

The size of the main font in the newspaper is also increasing, which will result in approximately 5 per cent fewer words in the paper.

Evans also said that the number of features in the daily newspaper has been “boosted”. He said that Monday features will focus on health, Tuesday’s on living, Wednesday’s on fashion, Thursday’s on family and relationships and Friday’s on lifestyle.

Evans added: “Unusually for a Monday, we also have a Matt on the front page today. We couldn't let a day like this go by without marking it with one of his inimitable cartoons.” 

Cartoonist Matt Pritchett, mentioned in the newspaper's timeline today, joined the Telegraph in 1988.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network