Museum The Pen Museum

The Pen Museum is dedicated to the history of the pen manufacturing trade in Birmingham, and its global impact. You will see how the pen making industry was created and developed in Birmingham, as an important part of the city's social and industrial history. The Birmingham Steel Pen trade began in the 1780s. The city's Jewellery Quarter became a hub for manufacturing steel nibs because of its access to the canal network, and ease of getting iron, limestone and coal from the Black Country. The newly thriving industry attracted innovative businessmen who set up their factories and employed local people to satisfy the demand for their products. Women made up more than three-quarters of the workforce.

Our museum is based in a building that once housed a pen nib factory owned by W. E. Wiley. The building was originally named The Albert Works after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, and it was built in 1863. For the following 13 years, it produced gold nibs and pencils, employing around 250 workers until the business merged with two other pen manufacturers, Josiah Mason and James Perry, in 1876. The building was renamed The Argent Centre in 1881 and was occupied by silversmith W.J. Myatt. In the 1980s, the building was converted into small business units by the Midlands Industrial Association. A decade later, heritage enthusiasts Brian Jones, Philip Poole , Larry Hanks, Colin Giles, Ray Handley and Carl Chinn pooled enthusiasm, experience and knowledge to create a space to celebrate the makers and workers of Birmingham's pen trade. In association with the Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association, the Pen Museum opened its doors in 2001. The Museum relies on its loyal and dedicated team of volunteers, they can be found in all three rooms and are available to assist with any questions and queries.