Many of these did become established, one being De La Rue, who produced the first English-made fountain pen in 1881. The Golden YearsThe late 1920s and the 1930s are regarded as the ‘Golden Years’ of the fountain pen, despite the Great Depression in the early 30s. The well-established local and foreign fountain pen manufacturers were soon joined by others in the lucrative English market. T B FORD LtdBy the 1920s local company T B Ford Ltd had a world-wide reputation for the quality of their main product, blotting paper. Steve, who lives locally, is a Vice-President of the Writing Equipment Society and has been researching the English fountain pen industry for over 40 years.