Conway Stewart / Bespoke British Pens
Firstly, let me say a few disclaimers. One is that this is my own opinion, and not influenced or supported by any manufacturer or retailer. Second, I am discussing recent (21st century) "Conway Stewart" pens made by either Conway Stewart in the early 2000s, and followed-on by Bespoke British Pens ("BBP") who bought assets of C-S in UK and Europe. I have not had any experience with the "Pen Family" C-S pens who obtained the trademark in USA.
I will comment on a range of pens from BIG to tiny, i.e. Churchills and Winston, down to Series 58 and the "Dinky" which is claimed to be the smallest ever practical fountain pen.
Opening line: These pens are fantastic. I am very happy to have the chance to own and use a few.
The Churchill pens are the "flagships" of the range. Put simply, this is a big bold pen. I have 2 of these, a "Peaky Blinders, Polly Gray" version, and a Christmas special one in "Evergreen. If you look at the BBP website, you can see a full range of colours and special versions, as well as all the minute details of mas and length and girth etc. Here, I not bore you with specifications, but just say these are indeed BIG pens. I include a comparison photo of a current-production Churchill beside a 1926 Big Red Duofold (on the presumption that every FP Geek knows exactly how big is a big red). The nib is a JoWo #7, which is bigger than e.g. the modern Duofold Centennial or Pelikan 800 nibs (which are more like a "6"). The 2000-ish Churchill, made before the bankruptcy and take-over by BBP is said to have been a #6 Bock. I had one of those, and I felt the nib was just a bit too small for such a big pen. The pen feels very solid, with thick acrylic. It is made to last. More on nibs later.
size comp big red.jpg
The colours are gorgeous. The Polly Gray is "Bracket Bordeaux", a deep purplish red akin to but darker than one would call Burgundy, and "bracketed" by black end caps. The Evergreen has an interior glow of some sort of sprkly material, so it it shines on light. BBP offers custom engraving (or none), and it is very nicely done. The "custom" work is very much "bespoke". On the Christmas 2022 pen they made for me, the "made in England" engraving was substituted by "Made at the North Pole". Of course I tell everyone that the CS logo on the clip is actually SC, the makers mark.
paeky1.jpgnorthpolecap copy.jpg
Speaking of being customized / "bespoke", the bigger pens (Churchill, Winston, Doctor's Pen, at least, possibly others) have screw-in nib units, so you can have different sizes and shapes of nibs and swap them among your pen or pens for variety. The big nibs come in 18kt gold with a 2-tone option, and in standard XF - B, with L or R oblique, Italic, and stub options as well. AND, they will sell you nib units, so you can easily repair (oops, dropped my pen nib down!) or customize your pen. The decoration variations include a Union Jack instead of the standard CS logo. Also available are calligraphy sets. That would be wasted on me. I do not write neatly no matter how hard I try. I do, though, have a med stub, 2 broads and 2 mediums (yes I know the plural is media, but somehow it does not fit the context). I attach pics of these 3 sizes. Nib sizes run, IMO a bit narrower than e.g. Parker Duofold nibs, and especially Pelikan nibs. Relatively speaking, the CS medium is about like a modern Duofold Centennial fine, and the CS B is about a Pelikan medium. The stub is an absolute delight. I still don't write neatly, but it's a try. I found the broad nibs work very nicely with "shimmer" inks, and used "Magic Forest Green" (sold by BBP, but is the same as Diamine) for Christmas greetings.
broad nib.jpgDrpen stubnib.jpgxmas med nib.jpg
The other BIG pens: I also have the privilege of owning a Winston and a Doctor's Pen (serial # 1!). These also have the #7 JoWo nib units. The Winston is slightly shorter than the Churchill, but built like a brick convenience facility. It was clearly made as a commemoration of the blitz of London, as the sort of pen that would endure a blockbuster bomb and still be fit for service. It is chunky and heavy. If you like a featherweight pen, this is not it. When I opened it at Christmas 2021, I was quite taken aback by the feel, but since then I have used it much of the time, and once you get used that solid feel, nothing else seems right. The filling system of the Winston deserves a mention. All of the CS pens I have use a screw-in standard international converter (you van buy more from BBNP if you need to, but probably will not) that holds 1 ml. The Winston has a "captive converter" system, meaning the converter is screwed into the section, and it has an extension fitted to the "piston twsiter" end to reach up to an open hole in the end of the barrel. The knurled tip of this is covered by a blind cap. Optionally, you can order it with a standard converter, but IMHO, I like using the knurled tip system, It works easily with e.g. the Visconti or Pineider inkpots, which BTW are a good idea when you are trying to fill a pen with such a large nib. winst filler.jpgwinstfiller2.jpg
The Doctor's Pen is a work of art, engine turned sterling silver. The clip features a gold plate serpent coiled around a staff (of Aesclepius), The weight and feel are similar to the Winston, but the pen itself is a bit more slender. Again, it has become a standard daily user.
3 big pens 2.jpg
I have reached the picture limit of the post, so will continue later.
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Excellent photos doctox. Makes me quite sad that even though I'm a Brit I don't own an example of a Conway Stewart pen.
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