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The Pen Room Fredrick Street

Im off to the penroom some time over the next month or so, it turns out my family were, birmingham penmakers, the Heeleys.. Edmund Heeley in particular, my 3xgrans brother.. He was a silversmith in Birmingham (Edmund Heeley & Co) and soon after I found out about the Penn room... I also discovered that Edmund owned premises in Frederick Street!!... Ironic? lol but as well as his silverwork, he also sold many other things, including manufacturing a range of pens, alas, I cant find anything that he has made, but Id love to find some!... another relative (not sure of the exact family tie, but there is one)... is James Heeley and sons, who manufactured many simmilar items to Edmund... and both made pens with the same names too, so maybe it was a family thing?

If anyone has any info on Edmund Heeley and or his work, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee let me know!!

or of his house lol, he apparently lived at a lime grove lodge, edgbaston, but again, this is a place I cant find any images (Edmund lived 1799 - 1801)
 
I am sure there will be plenty of information on Edmund Heeley at the Pen Room. They are very helpful and have a lot or resources. You will enjoy your visit I am sure they are great friends of ours! Good Luck Wendy.
 
Alas, on edmund himself... they dont... someone phoned me and talked to me about it when i made a general email enquiry to them, i think his name was Larry.... but they do have things for James Heeley... I did find it ironic that i then found out Edmund owned property in frederick street lol... wouldnt it be even more ironic if it turned out that the pen museum is... that building lol?
 
That's some good news. Larry is very knowledgeable one of the founders and a long standing volunteer. He appears on the Industrial Revaluations DVD featuring Mark Williams (Fast Show) when they did a piece on the museum. The building they are in was the Wylie Pen Works opposite was Gillott Pen Works. I hope you find some items at the Pen Room.
 
I visited the Pen Room today - I had never been before and I really enjoyed it. The displays are really interesting with lots to look at. I made a pen nib (I don't know how the women used to be able to make so many in a day) had a go at caligraphy (got very inky hands) and printed my name in Braille.

The people there are all very friendly and helpful and it was lovely to see Colin who does a lot of work in Key Hill Cemetery - there is also lots of information on the cemetery there.

If you haven't been and are in the area I would definitely reccommend a visit - I will certainly return.

Polly :)
 
glad you enjoyed the pen room pol...i also thought it was very interesting and there is so much to see..can highly recommend it:)

lyn
 
I am so pleased you have visited the Pen Room Polly its a wonderful place and like Lyn says recomended,
 
I have heard about the Pen Room before. It seems the sort of place in where I would be enchanted: I have always been someone with a collection of many pens.

An earlier post refers to an uncle from Germany. I am sure that in the later part of the 19th. century and early part of the 20th. many emigres from German speaking (not necessarily Germany) parts of Europe may well have set us small businesses, in Birmingham, including that of penmaking. Was not the City once that of a 1000 trades? ;)
 
I visited The Pen Room this week. There is so much to see, so many displays. I never imagined there were so many different types of nib. There are inkwells, letter openers, all kinds of pens, propelling pencils etc. It was my second visiit...so much to take in!!

I made a pen nib too, so fiddly, you can't imagine how many they had to make in a day! The Volunteers are all so friendly and helpful too.

It's good to see so much Birmingham History preserved there.

Rosie.
 
Really really must visit the Pen room, I love pens of any kind, Paperchase is my downfall and when I was astudent nurse my treat every month was a pretty pen - when I qualified I lost a few of them to the Drs who "borrowed" them, never to be seen again.
Is it easy to get to and can I park near it?
Sue
 
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
 
Bernard67Arnold said:
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
Click to expand...
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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