About us

The Writing Desk is a family-run business established in 2000 by Anna and Martin Roberts.

Who are we?

We are Anna and Martin, two pen enthusiasts who left "proper jobs" to do what we do.

Anna is a Solicitor but left the legal profession when her first child was born. Together with husband Martin, a Chartered Engineer, they founded The Writing Desk in 2000. In 2007, following redundancy, Martin joined The Writing Desk full-time.

There is still just the two of us and we do everything in-house (with the exception of a few repairs that have to be sent out).

Why buy from The Writing Desk?

We have over 20 years of experience in selling pens and a lifetime's passion for pens and all things stationery. You could call us stationery junkies! We chose a change of career and lifestyle and The Writing Desk is our sole occupation and our livelihood so we take it seriously. We believe that our education and past professional experience helps us to run a well thought out and efficient business, providing you with value for money products and great customer service.

We aim to bring you good old fashioned honest customer service with the ease of 21st-century shopping.

As authorised dealers of 45 brands we have, over the years, built up trusted relationships with our suppliers which enables us to give our customers up to date information on new products and special offers.

Finally, if you buy a fountain pen from us, we check and tune the nib as standard on all premium level pens (conditions apply - full details here).

In 2017 we opened a specialist retail shop in the heart of Bury St Edmunds which we enjoyed a great deal and serviced many happy customers but with the changing times, we made the decision at the end of our lease in 2021 to go back to on-line only.  We now have a workshop with a small showroom area and are happy to accept customers by appointment.

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is to provide the best possible service in all aspects and although we run an automated e-commerce system on our website we always deal with each order personally. We pride ourselves in providing a professional and personal service to all our customers and you can read some of their testimonials on our Reviews page.

We hope you find our website interesting and informative. We look after it in-house and we strive to ensure that all the information presented is accurate and up to date. If you do find a mistake, please pop us an e-mail.


Testimonials ( 5491 )
(5,0/5)

Review By James,
Fantastic selection of fountain pens and inks. Excellent service. I've placed many orders and been ...
16-03-2024
Verified Purchase
Review By Bruce Lyle Blythe,
Very caring about insuring i had exactly the pen i was seeking - and went out of their way to secure ...
12-03-2024
Verified Purchase
Review By Jim,
Good repair, sorted quickly. Would use again.
09-03-2024