Weird & wonderful · North West England
Derwent Pencil Museum
Also known as: Cumberland Pencil Museum
In or near Braithwaite.
The story of the pencil, told in Keswick where graphite was first discovered.
Rose and Trev Clough — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Threlkeld Quarry · 6.1 km
- Paid entry
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit the Derwent Pencil Museum, the nearest railway station is Threlkeld Quarry, located 6.1 km away. The postcode for sat-nav is CA12 5DS. Entry to the museum is paid.
About
The Derwent Pencil Museum at Keswick — long known as the Cumberland Pencil Museum — tells the story of pencil-making in the Lake District, where graphite was first discovered at Seathwaite in the 16th century, and how the local Cumberland Pencil Company invented the modern pencil. Exhibits include the world's longest pencil (8 m), wartime escape-and-evade pencils with hidden maps and compasses smuggled to RAF crews, and a working production line. Tiny, much-loved, the most-quoted oddity on every Lake District trip-planner.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2023
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the official site
The Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick showcases the history of pencil production, starting from its origins as a cottage industry to modern manufacturing. Visitors can explore exhibits including a replica graphite mine, unique WW2 pencils, and one of the largest color pencils in the world.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Derwent and Tributaries SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Derwent Pencil Museum is a museum dedicated to the manufacturing and history of pencils, located in Keswick, in the north-west of England.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The first pencil factory, owned by the Cumberland Pencil Company, opened in Keswick in 1832. The second and current factory was started in the 1920s and completed in 1950 and closed in 2007 when production was moved to Workington. The museum opened in 1981 and is home to one of the biggest colouring pencils in the world, the idea of technical manager Barbara Murray. The yellow pencil was completed on 28 May 2001, is 7.91 m long, and weighs 446.36 kg. In addition, the museum features a replica of a Seathwaite graphite mine. The museum now receives over 80,000 visitors a year from all around the world. It is particularly popular with visitors from the county of Yorkshire, due to the…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.6024, -3.1378
- District
- Cumberland
- Parish
- Keswick
- Postcode
- CA12 5DS
- Parliamentary constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Phone
- +44 1768 392 160
- Established
- 1981
- Annual visitors
- ~80,000/year
- Nearest railway station
- Threlkeld Quarry — 6.1 km
- Opening
- Daily 9:30am–5:00pm; last admission 4:00pm
- Official site
- www.derwentart.com
Sources
- manual: cumberland-pencil-museum (manual)
- wikipedia: Derwent Pencil Museum (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Derwent Pencil Museum?
- Derwent Pencil Museum is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode CA12 5DS), in the parish of Keswick.
- What is Derwent Pencil Museum?
- The story of the pencil, told in Keswick where graphite was first discovered.
- How do I get to Derwent Pencil Museum?
- The nearest railway station is Threlkeld Quarry, about 6.1 km away. Drivers can use postcode CA12 5DS.
- When was Derwent Pencil Museum built?
- Built or established in 1981.
- Who owns Derwent Pencil Museum?
- Derwent Pencil Museum is owned by | publictransit =.
- Is Derwent Pencil Museum a protected site?
- Yes — Derwent Pencil Museum is part of the River Derwent and Tributaries SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- How do I get to Derwent Pencil Museum?
- The nearest railway station is Threlkeld Quarry, about 6.1 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CA12 5DS.
- How busy is Derwent Pencil Museum?
- Derwent Pencil Museum draws around 80,000 visitors a year.