The Pen Museum, which opened in 2001, is located in a building which once housed William Wiley’s pen factory in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. The museum is dedicated to the steel pen trade of Birmingham, the history of writing and the story of how modern pens have evolved.

With our funding, a new activity and exhibition space was added to the museum in 2002. This space enables visitors to try a variety of writing methods, like calligraphy and the dip and ink pen. The funding also allowed for the installation of new facilities such as a toilet and kitchen.

Since receiving its initial funding in 2002, the museum was awarded another grant in 2016 to re-develop the room further. It still hosts activities and exhibitions.

The project also led to the creation of a video featuring two women telling their personal stories of working in the pen factory.