The History of Chambers Pencils

The Chambers family have been part of the pencil industry for over 100 years. The idea to start making pencils was thought up by Frederick Chambers, a foundry manager at Stanton Iron Works and a gentleman documented as Mr Brown, a timber merchant from Nottinghamshire. At the time, the majority of pencils used in England were imported, so their theory was that the war looming would create a pencil shortage.

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They soon recruited a gentleman our history books refer to as Professor J. W. Hinchley, a chemist with pencil making knowledge. In 1915, Mr Brown sold his shares to Frederick and F. Chambers and Company Limited was formed. The factory was moved to Stapleford Nottingham, where it remained until 1973.

INTERESTING FACT: F. Chambers & Company Limited were the first to manufacture cosmetic pencils for Boots, in 1931. In 1973, the factory relocated to Sandiacre, Nottingham. It remained there until March 1991, when it was bought by a company called Lyra, based in Germany.

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In May 1991 Norman Chambers, Frederick’s grandson, started doing odd bits of printing onto writing pencils for friends and previous customers, as Lyra bought F. Chambers & Company with the intention of only producing cosmetic pencils. From there, the demand for writing pencils grew, so Norman re-built machinery from parts he inherited or could find and rented a small unit to accommodate the orders flying in. Chambers Pencils was re-born.
Norman sadly passed away in 2014, but his legacy has continued to grow, as his love for pencils has survived through his son Timothy, who now runs the company.

 
 

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