Pen Museum, Birmingham Overview

Located on Frederick Street in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Pen Museum is a fascinating site which makes its visitors experience the legacy of Birmingham’s pen trade and gives them an opportunity to experience writing using the reeds, steel nibs and feather quills. The visitors also get a chance to form their own nibs from scratch with the use of traditional methods along with enjoying the hands-on activities like using ancient typewriters, Braille machines and writing with varied types of pens.

Opened in 2001, the Birmingham Pen Museum is present in a former pen factory and throws light on the history of Birmingham when it was responsible for 75% of the total production of pens in the world and also helped to increase the literacy rate with its cheap mass supply of pens. The story of the entrepreneurs and workers (there were approximately 8,000 workers, 70% of whom were women) who made the industry successful is demonstrated by videos and trails around the museum. The Pen Museum houses an exclusive collection of pens, machinery, nibs and other artefacts related to the pen trade and hosts several interactive and engaging workshops and talks from time to time for the visitors.

Birmingham Pen Museum Tickets

Single Entry
Adult: GBP 6.00 / Gift Aid: GBP 6.60
Senior Citizens: GBP 4.50 / Gift Aid: GBP 4.95
Students: GBP 4.50 / Gift Aid: GBP 4.95
Children aged 5 to 15 years: GBP 2.00
Diabled people: GBP 4.50 / Gift Aid: GBP 4.95 (free entry for carer / personal assistant)
Entry is free for children below 5 years of age.

Group Entry
For school groups and special groups, the entry fee is GBP 2.50 per person and the teachers and carers can enter for free.

Gift Aid fee includes 10% extra charge paid by the visitors as a voluntary donation.
If the visitors combine their visit with the Museum of Jewellery Quarter and Newman Brothers Coffin Works, they can avail a discount of 15%.
Full payment will have to be made at the first museum
A 10% discount can be availed at the second museum
A 15% off on visiting the third museum
This discount is valid till two days and can be availed on showing the receipt of the previous visit.

Tips

The staff at the museum is more than willing to answer any questions with regard to the museum.
If planning to visit in a group, it is recommended to inform the museum in advance to ensure smooth service.
Since the Pen Museum is located in a historical building, not every place has wheelchair access.
The gift shop at the museum offers a plethora of writing and calligraphy equipment as well as handcrafted pens made by Sohan Singh and Eric Lyons which can be taken as souvenirs or gifts. Apart from this, books and greeting cards are also available.
The museum hosts workshops and calligraphy regularly and it is recommended that visitors check the schedule before going and experience the workshops.

How To Reach Pen Museum Birmingham

The Birmingham Pen Museum is at a walking distance from Birmingham’s central shopping area and is easily accessible by public transport.

Bus: Bus number 101 can be boarded from Birmingham city centre to Frederick Street to reach the museum.

Train: The closest train station is Jewellery Quarter station with trains running frequently from Snow Hill stations and Birmingham Moor Street.

Tram: The visitors can also use the tram service from the city centre to the Jewellery Quarter station which is at a walking distance from the museum.

Car: Driving by car is a good option as well with the availability of paid on-street parking near the museum (no parking fee is applicable on Sundays).

Walking: If choosing to walk, turn into Frederick Street from Graham Street which is followed by the entrance of the museum just next to the Legge Lane.