MuseumAn hour
Derwent Pencil Museum
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About
The museum of Derwent, the art-pencil maker whose heritage, the company says, goes back to 1832 in Keswick. Visitors go in through a replica graphite mine; inside are Second World War pencils with hidden maps, what Derwent calls one of the largest colour pencils in the world, at almost 8 metres, and miniature pencil sculptures. It is moving. Its last day at Southey Works is 1 November 2026, and the Keswick Reminder and the Museums Association reported in August 2026 that it is due to reopen in March 2027 at Rawnsley Hall, a short walk away and closer to the centre, a former Keswick School building of 1898; Derwent's own page had published no reopening date when this was checked on 17 October 2026. Until then it is closed.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Replica graphite mine
- ✓Wartime pencils with hidden maps
- ✓A colour pencil almost 8 metres long
Tips
- →Closed after 1 November 2026 until it reopens at Rawnsley Hall (due March 2027, date to be announced).
- →Tickets are sold on site only.
- →Well-behaved dogs are welcome.
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