Has Anyone Heard Of Henry Simpole?

[GeorgeWP]

I did say that I would post the story of the pen my wife commissioned for me from Henry. So, here goes:

My wife is a Lady Mason and she was elected as Master of her Lodge for 2012. This position required her to devote a great deal of time in various fund raising activities during her year of office, and also involved me in accompanying her on a number of occasions, plus keeping things running at home during the multiple times she was absent. She decided that she would mark my support for her, specifically during this time, by doing something special for me, a non-Mason.

She hit upon the idea of commissioning a pen from Henry what better gift could you give a pen nut.

Her idea was to incorporate some important events in my/our life/lives into a design for an overlay by Henry. As I have mentioned before, both Susan, my wife, and Henry were working in secret, on this design, for several months. Because she was so often out of the house during this time, it never occurred to me that she was gone for any other reason that those imposed on her by the duties of being Master of her Lodge.

She finally presented me with the pen on the night of her Lodge's Gentlemans Festival, which happened to be the day after my birthday. I recognised the box as being one of Henry's so, I knew that it contained a Simpole pen, but when I saw it, and recognised that it was a commissioned design, as you can imagine, I was absolutely speechless. A very memorable moment and a very memorable pen.

You would all have seen the pictures in the earlier post from Neal, who has photographed the pen for Henrys web site. So, now to the elements of the design:

The cap overlay has my initials and year of my birth; Susans initials and the year of her birth; our daughter, Sarahs initials and the year of her birth, all interweaved within a pattern of scrolling leaves. The cap overlay also includes the All seeing eye logo that Bob Dylan has been using as a backdrop to concerts and other things for the last several years. This was included because I have been a life-long fan of Bob Dylan.

The body overlay has the following: The name of the village, in Italy, in which we have a house and the year we bought it; a facsimile of the Rout 66 road sign; and, a blank cartouche for me to have something engraved in it, all incorporated into the scrolling leaf design used on the cap overlay. I should explain that the Route 66 sign commemorates a great holiday that we took a few years ago driving the whole length of Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles, and was something that I had always dreamed of doing.

So there you have it, the story of the pen. As you can imagine, this is something very special and has immense value to me. Oh, and by the way, and I also enjoy writing with it.

Edited June 7, 2013 by GeorgeWP

[Ghost Plane]

Happy sigh... love to hear love stories.

[GeorgeWP]

Happy sigh... love to hear love stories.

 

Glad it pleased you GP

[Truffle Finder]

I've just got back from Portobello Market, and I'm pleased to report that there was no time for book-reading! I was kept pretty busy with people looking at the pens that I had to show, and I seemed to do a lot of talking!

When I arrived back at the workshop, I was greeted by my sister, who had returned from her holidays, in Switzerland and had brought with her some presents, amongst which was a 'Deco Lady' Designed biscuit tin, and it is a different pose from the last one that I did a little while ago, so no prises what I will be doing over this weekend!

Truffle Finder.

[Inkysloth]

I've just got back from Portobello Market, and I'm pleased to report that there was no time for book-reading! I was kept pretty busy with people looking at the pens that I had to show, and I seemed to do a lot of talking!

When I arrived back at the workshop, I was greeted by my sister, who had returned from her holidays, in Switzerland and had brought with her some presents, amongst which was a 'Deco Lady' Designed biscuit tin, and it is a different pose from the last one that I did a little while ago, so no prises what I will be doing over this weekend!

Truffle Finder.

 

I have been doing *a lot* of digesting!

 

Thanks so much for your time - and letting me eye-up your gorgeous pen-stash. As the afternoon's gone on I've been mulling over all the pens in my mind, just outstanding! When I've been in the pen world another couple of years will you show me again, so I can fall over?

 

Hope you enjoy designing the new overlay!

[Truffle Finder]

I have good news, Neal has done the photographs of the Clouds House pens, so hopefully they should appear here fairly shortly.

Unless someone else with the technical wherewithal to do it, does it!!!

Truffle Finder.

[esterbex]

Someone else would if someone else could.....

And someone else will! As always...Kudos and many thanks to the brilliant photographer.

 

 

 

[Truffle Finder]

Thank you Esterbex, [and of course Neal for the photography] for posting these pictures on here.

I'm so excited about this pen, and I can't wait to have them ready, and present them to the people at Clouds House at the re-union at the end of the month, it will be a very special day.

Truffle Finder.

[my63]

They are fine looking pens Hen

It must have taken many hours to complete all of that intricate work.

Will you be selling them ?

[Truffle Finder]

I have told the people at Clouds House that I have made 10 pens, which is my 'donation to the cause', and they will be selling them to anybody who wants to buy them. I will no doubt have a couple of them in my stock, because I rather like the design, and because the 'CH' is fairly hidden in the design, it is quite possible that some people might like to buy them, perhaps not even realising the significance of the two initials, within the design, although, I will tell them about their presence there!

The important thing is that Clouds House will benefit from the sale of them.

Truffle Finder.

[Truffle Finder]

Oh! I've just noticed that this thread has just topped the 80,000 views mark!

Who'd have thought it?

Truffle Finder.

[Truffle Finder]

I'm pleased to be able to report that today was quite a good day up at Portobello road Antiques Market starting off with a fairly regular collector friend of mine, from Alabama, USA, who comes to see me about once a month while he is over here on business. Today he chose two Parker Duofolds, one was a Green and Pearl Deluxe [18ct gold nib] Senior, the other one was a 'transition period' Parker Big Red Duofold, which was quite unusual in that it has all the usual 'hallmarks' of a Lucky Curve Senior, [including the Lucky Curve barrel imprint], but with the profile of a Streamlined Senior Duofold. These are pretty rare, because the caps and barrels were imported from the USA Parker factory from about 1937 onwards, after the English Parker Factory was first opened at that time. These pens were pretty well 'obsolete' by this time in the USA, but by the time England was experiencing the terrible raw materials shortages during the Second World War, they would have been very welcome to the British factory.

They were both very popular with my American friend, anyway!

Truffle Finder.

[Chris Chalmers]

Hi Henry and everyone!

We are landed in UK, but it took a lot longer than I anticipated to find my feet and turn into a human! I think the first has happened, the latter should be done any day soon!

Needless to say I didn't keep my date with Henry at Portobello - and have apologised and will again here publicly as I doubt I'll see that part of London now....but do hope to meet up with Henry next month.

 

I brought five pens........and got myself a bottle of .....wait for it - Parker Quink in blue - all that was available nearby...........but have yet to write a word. Picture this, Chris without daily writing......but Henry had a good day without me - and his visitor didn't have such a long flight!!!!

 

I hope I can check in now and then...........so huge hugs to all!

[Pengrump]

Hi Chris,

 

Your circadian rhythms need time to adjust. Hope you are energized and ready to rock soon. Ms. Rabbit sends greetings as well.

[billydo]

Henry's "Clouds House" story and more pictures are now featured on his website... here's the link:

 

http://www.henrysimpole.com/the-clouds-house-pens-2013

[esterbex]

Henry's "Clouds House" story and more pictures are now featured on his website... here's the link:

 

http://www.henrysimpole.com/the-clouds-house-pens-2013

Thank you Neal...I love a good story and it makes the pen all that more special.

Congratulations, Truffle. You and Clouds both have something great to be proud of.

[Chris Chalmers]

Hi folks!!!

I thought we would get to the pen show in Lichfield this Sunday - but the whole town is having some sort of 'bash' and digs are hard to find last minute - so we are in Chester, Cheshire for tonight while we wait for replies to begging emails.......if they don't happen there is all of Wales, the West Country and goodness knows where instead!

 

Sadly no writing happening.......... which means we are having fun - fun - fun!

Finally got to speak to Henry yesterday - on the top of the North Yorkshire Moors - would you believe it?

I wish I could draw cartoons - picture us driving through all the lonely miles of single track road with just black-faced sheep for company and a long pole with a mobile phone at the end of it - trying to get a signal!!! Then it rings and we nearly ended up sitting in puddles - what a shock!!

 

If fate is good we will meet up in Tavistock at the start of July and talk pens until one or more of us drop from exhaustion.......or run out of drool when Henry shows me his retirement folder of pens.

 

tomorrow will see us entering our second third of our holiday - yikes!!!!!

The food is just too darned good to tell you about - but we will develop fins soon - hehehe!

Hugs to all - and you too Henry!!!

Chris

[esterbex]

Oh Chris!!! I wish you had some video footage to boot! Not even a photo of something tasty?

Glad you're enjoying yourself and avoiding catastrophe...Wish I was there....

Keep the reports coming!

[Ghost Plane]

Eat a Kinderegg and play with the toy for me?

[Truffle Finder]

Well, I've done all the Hall-Marking of the Clouds House Pens, [and a few others that had been waiting patiently to be done!] and Neal had arranged for a couple of poster sized pictures to be done so that they can be presented in the activities tent, at the Re-union on Saturday. I must say, I am starting to feel really excited about it!

No doubt, I will be able to report back on here, how it all went!

I will be meeting up with Chris Chalmers in Tavistock next week! That's another thing I'm looking forward to while I'm down there in the West Country! Should be good!

Truffle Finder.