Based in a former pen factory in the heart of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, the Pen Museum tells the story of how modern pens evolved. The museum celebrates the Birmingham pen trade during the 1800s, and the lives of the manufacturers and workers whose expertise placed the city at the centre of this worldwide trade. Learn about the many pen companies of Birmingham and the history of the trade from the quill, to steel nib, to the fountain pen.
The Pen Museum is a museum in Birmingham, England, covering the history of Birmingham's steel pen trade. The only museum in the United Kingdom devoted to the history of the pen making industry, the Pen Museum explains how Birmingham became the centre of the world pen trade.
Making steel pen nibs in Birmingham during the Victorian era was a major industry with 129 companies employing circa 8,000 workers (mostly women). When visiting the Pen Museum, you will discover a wide range of fascinating objects and details that help tell the story of Birmingham’s pen trade and its important legacy including the link between a prominent pen manufacturer (Josiah Mason) and the establishment of the University of Birmingham.
Throughout the Museum there are a range of activities for all to enjoy including writing with a quill and ink, using typewriters, try your hand at calligraphy, use graphology to analyse your handwriting, follow trails, hear first-hand experiences of pen workers, plus an exciting opportunity to make your own nib using .
Last Admission 3pm
Pen Museum
Pen Museum, The Argent Centre, 60 Frederick Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 3HS, England
Tel: 0121 236 9834
This attraction has been claimed and verified. All information has been recently checked.
