Did you know that on average a pencil can be sharpened 17 times, draw a line 35 miles long and can write 45,000 words?


On the fellside above Seathwaite, in the Borrowdale Valley, shepherds accidentally came across the purest form of graphite ever found. 
Over 400 years later, learn how this discovery was transformed into current-day pencil manufacture. 
Located in Keswick, visitors enter Derwent Pencil Museum through a replica graphite mine that would have been the source of the pencil industry more than three centuries ago.
They embark on journey to discover graphite and pencil manufacture from its humble beginnings as a cottage industry to modern-day production.
Discover our secret WWII pencil with hidden maps, one of the largest coloured pencils in the world measuring almost eight metres; the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pencil and the King’s Coronation pencil, miniature pencil sculptures and much more. 
The first pencil factory in Keswick was opened in 1832.
The second and current factory was started in the 1920s and completed in 1950 (it closed in 2007 when production moved to Workington).
We manufacture millions of pencils every year and have over 1,000 colour options.
Friendly staff are on hand to answer any questions you may have and advise you on product choices.
There’s more to a pencil than you think!
Derwent Pencil Museum, Keswick CA12 5NG. Tel 017687 73626, www.derwentart.com