Miranda Blacky / 23 January 2025 / Categories: Product and Brands, Brands

Cross Townsend Fountain Pen

Goes everywhere with me

I was taught handwriting at school and later when I was making my own invitations and note cards I had a go at calligraphy. I have always enjoyed letter writing, sending and receiving and there were no biros or ballpoint pens allowed at my school, every one had a fountain pen when I started writing essays.

The habit stuck for me. I’ve had a few gorgeous fountain pens in my lifetime, I am not a collector, I currently have two versions of the Cross Townsend on the go, one a cartridge version with a medium nib I keep in my pouchette, ready on standby should anyone say,

“You haven’t got a pen have you?”

With everyone using a smartphone something to write with has become almost obsolete.

I keep another fine nib version, I also have the spring cartridge accessory in the barrel I can fill up from an old fashioned ink bottle should I run out of cartridges which does happen from time to time.

I like cartridges, they are easy, they come in boxes of six and are easy to find online.

For about a tenner you can buy a push in converter for your fountain pens enabling the use of bottled ink in place of fountain pen ink cartridges. Compatible with classic Century, 21St century, Townsend, Calais, Aventura, Coventry, and solo fountain pens.

The Townsend is my favourite like a few American presidents before me. I like the weight in my hand. I also love to lend it to people to use. It’s a rare treat I think for many to write with a proper pen and is always a talking point when I get it out.

They are not inexpensive at around £250 these days and easy to misplace so that’s something to consider before investing. I love to give a fountain pen as a birthday gift, coming of age gift or graduation gift. I do keep notes on my phone but I love a handwritten list too. Something cathartic about ticking things off.

One of my Cross Townsend pens I’ve had for about 30 years the other one I purchased secondhand about 10 years ago as a back up.

I think in this high tech world there’s something beautiful in the art of penmanship and the craft of arguably one of the finest writing implements in the world.