After visiting the Keswick Museum we made our way into town and had a spot of tea and a sweet before heading over to the Cumberland Pencil Museum run by the Derwent pencil factory. Originally the graphite used in pencils was quite rare and difficult to obtain. Graphite had been discovered in the neighboring town of Barrowdale and had been closely regulated for a long time, as it was originally used to make moulds for military shells. However, pencils soon monopolized the graphite use. It started out as a cottage industry and soon grew into a major industry. Eventually a new graphite hybrid mixed with clay replaced the cumberland graphite but the Derwent Pencil company adapted and also began making coloured pencils and other art supplies. Ian and I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and its video on how pencils were made.
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