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The Pen Room Fredrick Street

Hi Sue I usually park in the car park at the Jewellery Quarter and walk to the Pen Room the car park is cheap and it's not far. There are parking meter's outside but they always seem to be full. If I can get there you can...lol The car park is on Vyse Street opposite Pitsford Street. When you come out turn left and keep going straight on. At the Chamberlain clock island straight over keep going the Pen Room is on the right there is a large iron gate with a small one to walk through. The door to the Pen Room is on the right push it and in you go. Say hello from me Sue you will love it!:):)
 
Slightly of subject, I bought my Wife a Parker 51 fountain pen for her birthday Jan 1954 and 57 years later it is still writing as good as ever !! Eric
 
I visited the Pen room for the first time today,it was fantastic and i recommend it to anyone who has never been there.
I found it interesting as i was born about 100 yards from Brandeur's,and my Grandmother and Great Grandmother worked there.Moss
 
Richard do go as I know they have a lot of info on Hinks & Wells and may be able to help you further.

For info Hinks is buried in Key Hill cemetery.
 
I remember somewhere at the back of Floodgate Street, where I went to school, in Digbeth there was a pen factory which had a motto carved in the stone above the main entrance which read

"They come as a boon and a blessing to men, the Pickwick the Owl and the Waverly pen"
 
Hello JDisney and welcome to the forum. It's funny how some things stay with us from our childhood. What a lovely quote. I have seen a cabinet at the pen room with Waverly pens. It's a facinating place if ever you get the chance to visit.
 
Had a great afternoon in the Pen Room again, Brian should now be able to work the till! thanks for having us and see you again soon, sorry couldn't find you to day goodbye :)
 
JDisney - They came as a boon and a blessing to men, the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverly Pen" - my Dad always used to tell me that quote, but I hadn't heard it for years. I always wondered where it came from - now I know!

Judy
 
JDisney - I just found this:

Macniven & Cameron Ltd -

The came as a boon and a blessing to men, the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen" The company has a works on Blair Street, Edinburgh, and he Waverley Pen Works, Watery Lane, Bordesley, Birmingham. Their famous pens include Pickwick, Owl, Waverley, Phaeton, Nile, Hindoo, and Commercial. The Waverley pen had a turned up point rather than a convex point. This took the extreme point of the pen off the paper and made writing smoother.

For some reason I always thought there was a connection with Gillott from what my Dad told me.








 
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hi Wendy, I dont normally get the Sunday Mercury but my son
came for his lunch on Thursday and left it for me.There was a half
page advert for the Pen Room, dont know if you saw it or not?
It gives the address of the Room as, 60 Frederick Street, Hockley. Birmingham B1 3HS.Had it been in Hockley the Post Code would
have been B18/B19.Just a small point I know. Hope Michael and
your good self are well, take care now Bernard
 
my self and my daughter visited the pen room last year.
we walked in and started having a look round
one of the volunteers asked if he could show us round and it was amazing
he took us through the process of how a pen and knib is made told us about the conditions the people had to work in the accidents they had how much money they made because the were on piece work
it may only be a small place but its sooooooo interesting and the people who work there are fab full of information
 
Really must go there, I love pens of any kind, my payday treat when I was training was a new pen, qualified by the fact that it was useful too!! Can imagine I won't want to leave though.
Sue
 
charlie the staff there are fab full of information and great caretakers of places like the pen room without these people places like this will be forgotten forever and they do it all for the love of it

sistersue you must go if your really into pens then its the place to visit the pens there are beautifull
 
hi Wendy, I dont normally get the Sunday Mercury but my son
came for his lunch on Thursday and left it for me.There was a half
page advert for the Pen Room, dont know if you saw it or not?
It gives the address of the Room as, 60 Frederick Street, Hockley. Birmingham B1 3HS.Had it been in Hockley the Post Code would
have been B18/B19.Just a small point I know. Hope Michael and
your good self are well, take care now Bernard
That definition also puts the School of Jewellery outwith Hockley as well Bernard.
 
Love The Pen Room, have lots of pic's of the inside and the building it is situated in is magnificent


Pen Room.jpg
 
I have been visiting the Pen Room since 2003. They are a great bunch of people all so willing to help. I have no idea about post codes but know it is situated in the Argent Center in Fredrick Street which was itself a Pen Factory. Across the road is Joseph Gillotts pen factory which has a blue plaque. If you visit hopefully you will be able to make a pen knib, a job done by women. I was amazed how hard you would have to work in this profession when I had a go. Larry a long time volunteer often appears in historical programes about the museum. I have seen him with Mark Williams in Industrial Revalations and another done by a Leicester man on a canal boat who's name escapes me. His wife Margaret is also a volunteer along with Colin Giles who helps everyone we have become great friends over the years. They hold information on Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries there as well. Many of our pen makers are buried in Key Hill cemetery. Here is a link to their web site https://www.penroom.co.uk/
 
Have had a great visit to the Pen Room with mom today, and also seen the reference books and Cemetry histories for Key Hill and Warstone, thanks to an opportune meeting with Key Hill Brian, who showed us round and introduced John the volunteer, who along with his great knowledge of the pen makers also showed how nibs were made - and gave me a sample one to bring home. The collection of typewriters was good, wouldn't fancy using the one in which the pointer has to be moved over each individual letter before hitting the key - would have been faster to write it all by hand!Thanks to all the volunteers and to Brian for making our visit so enjoyable.
Sue
 
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