The Birmingham pen trade was a period in the 19th-century that positioned the city of Birmingham as the world's leading manufacturer of steel dip pen (or pen nibs). It started in the 1820s when a group of entrepreneurs introduced mass production methods to leave the craftsman’s workshop behind and become a true industry. Some of those pioneers were brothers John and William Mitchell, Josiah Mason, James Perry, and Joseph Gillott.

The trade was a significant part of the city's industrial heritage,

The trade also pioneered craftsmanship, manufacturing processes and provided employment opportunities especially for women, who constituted more than 70% of the workforce.

Baker and Finnemore operated in James Street, near St Paul's Square; C. Brandauer & Co Ltd. (founded as Ash & Petit) traded at 70 Navigation Street; Joseph Gillott & Sons Ltd. made pen nibs in Bread Street (now Cornwall Street) for companies such as Perry & Co.; Hinks, Wells & Co. traded in Buckingham Street; George W. Hughes traded in St Paul's Square; Leonardt & Catwinkle (then D. Leonardt & Co.) traded in George and Charlotte Streets, and M. Myers & Son. were based at 8 Newhall Street.

thumb|170px|A.C. Brandauer & Co. advertisement of 1885

In 1828 Josiah Mason developed a cheap, efficient slip-in nib based on existing models, which could be added to a pen holder. his home town. He started by working in the stationery trade of Birmingham, where he learnt about the mechanical process invented by Mitchell for making steel pen nibs. In searching for opportunities, Esterbrook realized there were no steel pen manufacturers in the United States. He approached five craftsmen who worked for John Mitchell in Navigation Street with an idea of setting up a business in Camden, New Jersey. Esterbrook later went on to become one of the largest steel-pen manufacturers in the world. He returned to Birmingham for help when in 1928 the British Government placed restrictions on US imports. John Mitchell's factory was used to produce Esterbrook pens within the UK, through an agreement with Esterbrook representatives. In both the USA and Britain Esterbrook also offered fountain pens from an early date, with larger scale production from the 1930s on.

During World War II, pen manufacture in the city was somewhat disturbed. Mitchell's factory on Moland Street was struck by an incendiary bomb; the premises were partially rebuilt during the war with government aid, on condition that a government stationery office and ammunition assay office could reside there. The John Mitchell business and factory were sold to Esterbrook in 1947. Twenty years later, the Esterbrook Pen Co. was taken over by the "Venus Pencil Co", which had a modern factory in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to which Esterbrook's production was transferred until 1972. contributed to a decline of use of the traditional dip and fountain pen nibs. The cost of production and market saturation should be also considered as causes as well. But the 1960s, the Birmingham pen industry had gone.

See also

  • Dip pen
  • Victoria Works, Birmingham
  • Pen Museum
  • Calligraphy

References

  • A Dip into Birmingham’s pen making industry at hamiltonpens.com
  • Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association
  • The Pen Museum at Birmingham Heritage forum