The Pen Museum celebrates 25 years of telling Birmingham's steel pen story

Before the ballpoint, the world wrote with Birmingham. In the mid to late 19th century, it has been estimated that the city produced three quarters of the world's pens, and for 25 years the Pen Museum in the Jewellery Quarter has kept that remarkable story alive.

The museum opened on 28 April 2001 as the Pen Room, founded by Brian Jones, Larry Hanks, Colin Giles and Ray Handley. They set up home in the Argent Centre, a Grade II* listed building that once housed a pen factory, and began preserving the legacy of the trade through a collection of steel pen nibs and family stories.

The scale of that trade is striking. The museum says Birmingham was home to 129 pen companies employing around 8,000 workers, an estimated 70 per cent of them women. Their work had a significant impact on literacy around the world, and prominent pen manufacturer Josiah Mason played a key role in founding the University of Birmingham.

A visit is wonderfully hands-on. Alongside displays, trails and videos, visitors can try writing with different kinds of pen, explore early typewriters and Braille machines, and even make their own nib using the same machinery once operated by women workers in the 19th century.

The Pen Museum is a certified independent museum run by a charity, the Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association, and depends on a loyal team of volunteers supporting its museum manager. With operating costs of around £75,000 a year, admissions, gift aid, shop sales, memberships and donations are vital to its survival.

Over the years it has grown, adding the Philp Poole Room gallery in 2002 and a new exhibition, shop area and entrance in 2016.

For its anniversary year the museum has launched a new 2026 events programme, featuring murder mysteries such as The Phantom of The Bell, a gothic tale, and calligraphy workshops inspired by writing traditions from around the world. Schools can book Victorian pen factory sessions, and a small events room is available to hire.

Opening times, tickets and volunteering opportunities are on the Pen Museum website.