Winemaker's grape press: 20th century

Winemaker's grape press. The kosher wine-making and distilling workshop run by M Chaikin & Co used this machine to press dried fruit such as raisins and sultanas. The family firm produced kosher wine and spirits both in the UK and in Palestine. The alcohol was bottled in the basement workshop on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street, Spitalfields. The company also ran an off-licence at 72-74 Brick Lane, and supplied London's East End Jewish community with kosher wines and spirits for nearly 80 years. The workshop and off-licence closed in 1976.