Related articles: Keswick Convention

I had a visit to Keswick today and where I had the chance to catch up with Tim Fisher who runs the Northern Lights Gallery in the town.

Having said that I was surprised to see the transformation of the former pencil factory since the last time I saw it a few years back.

While I was working at the Penrith-based Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, between 2014 and 2019, I covered a few stories about the annual religious Convention which was organised by Keswick Ministries.

The event caused unease among some businesses in the town, and at one point it was described as “parasytic”, because it was claimed they suffered a drop in business during the three weeks it took place.

Having said that Keswick Ministries announced there were plans to transform the building into a conference centre and in 2018 I was invited along to have a look inside the structure and interview representatives from the organisers.

Inside you could tell that it had not been used for years as it was covered in thick layers of dust and bizarrely there were lots of police crime scene tape as it was used for training exercises for CSI officers.

I moved away from Cumbria mid-2019, after I left the Herald, and was not aware that the project had progressed so far.

I knew it had been granted planning permission but I was surprised, when I first saw it on Google Maps, how much it had changed as these pictures show.

I am pleased with the end result as I feel the renovation has been carried out in a sympathetic manner to retain the building’s former character.

Factfile:

• Keswick was already well-known for producing the finest pencils in the world and previously they had been made by hand in small workshops;
• The Cumberland Pencil Company began under the name of Banks, Son & Co in 1832;
• It was the first pencil factory in the area and passed through several hands before being known as the Cumberland Pencil Company in 1916;
• The current building is the second factory and work started there in the 1920s and it was completed in 1950;
• It was bought in 1980 by the American corporation ACCO Brands, known as Rexel, to become a brand of its product range;
• It closed in 2007 when the owners moved production to Workington;
• The nearby Derwent Pencil Museum opened in 1981 and it is the home to one of the biggest colouring pencils in the world;
• It was completed on May 28, 2001, and measures 7.91 metres (26 ft) long, and weighs 446.36 kilograms (984.1 pounds);
• A tour is provided by the museum which shows the history of pencil making and the creation of Derwent pencils.