Trifter

The 25-ft pencil exists in a horizontal position in the ancient market town of Keswick, Cumbria, in the north of the English Lake District. At 7.91m and some 446 kg (884 pounds) in weight, it is not only the longest coloured pencil in the world but one of the heaviest too. It graces with its volume and height one of the Cumbria’s hidden gems, the Cumberland Pencil Museum which claims for itself the title of the world’s only museum dedicated to the History of the Pencil. And with good reason. This was graphite country.

The Longest Coloured Pencil in the World

Legend has it that after a violent storm hit the Borrowdale valley sometime around 1500, a shepherd who chanced by a bunch of uprooted trees discovered a strange black material underneath.  It looked like coal but it wouldn’t burn and it was perfect for marking sheep! It was not long until graphite mining began in Borrowdale and a cottage industry producing handmade pencils was born in Keswick. At first the graphite was roughly cut and wrapped in sheepskin but later a wooden holder was developed. The Cumberland pencils were popular with the Italian art schools and “wad” (as graphite was called locally) became so valuable that it was carried to London protected by armed guards. Although the mine started drying out by the mid-19^th century, the Cumberland Pencil Company which started in Keswick in 1832 is still going strong and it is the home of the reputable Derwent Pencils.

Today the Pencil Museum situated right next to the factory is a delightful place for young and old. Entering through a replica of the Seathwaite mine, the visitor can stroll through the manufacturing process of the pencil, marvel at the quaint displays of vintage pencils and old machinery, watch an informative video and last but not least feast their eyes on the longest coloured pencil in the world, which was completed in 2001.

An amazing selection of artists’ pencils waits at the gift shop –it is claimed to be the most comprehensive range of Derwent and Lakeland products anywhere in the UK. And what a gem of a place the Kids Drawing Zone is with plenty of materials to experiment with and walls covered with masterpieces. Artists’ demonstrations and drawing workshops happen frequently too -check the museum’s website before you visit.