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Stationery

(28 Posts)
HelterSkelter1 Sat 08-Nov-25 03:28:18

I wrote a letter last week and used up the final sheet of a 5 or more year old pad of writing paper. I thought I would buy a new pad yesterday. Plenty of envelopes in both
Tesco and Waitrose but no writing paper.

Gone are the days of a stationery set for birthday or christmas. And I havent seen Basildon Bond or the deckle edge paper...what was the brand name of that....for years.

I shall look in our local card shop tomorrow and then resort to a search on line.

I wish I had treasured those gifts in the past along with a box of embroidered hankies and a proper pen and bottle of Quink. I shall go back to sleep now and dream of writing letters.

BlueBelle Sat 08-Nov-25 04:53:59

Times have changed we don’t write letters any more so there is no need for stationery in shops in fact we barely have shops any more I write notes with pages torn out of an old note book or exercise book but I haven’t written a letter for years and years Royal Mail would probably lose it if I did
I don’t think I miss it to be honest
I m sure you ll get some online

JamesandJon33 Sat 08-Nov-25 05:43:55

I write letters often. To friends for birthdays, to an aunt in a care home, and they are always much appreciated. I use a sheet of A4 paper now, as writing pads are no more.

mum2three Sat 08-Nov-25 05:53:12

Do you have a Spar shop near you? If so, try in there.

Esmay Sat 08-Nov-25 05:57:28

I'm beginning to think that letter writing is a lost art.
I use sheets of office paper and a packet of separately bought envelopes so that they don't really match .
My handwriting is awful and deteriorating.
I often send short letters on cheaply bought
cards . I was buying them from The Works .
I don't know if they still produce them .
At the moment I have a lot of their make your own cards with matching envelopes.
A set of old fashioned deckle edged paper and envelopes would be appreciated .
Perhaps they are available on line.

GoodAfternoonTea Sat 08-Nov-25 07:31:42

Could you buy a pack of A5 paper and find a design you like on line and print your own stationery? Or, perhaps just the A5 paper?

Greyduster Sat 08-Nov-25 07:58:27

I used to be an inveterate letter writer - letters home to parents; letters to DH when he was away for long periods - mostly on forces air mail “Bluey’s”, but sometimes on lovely onion skin writing paper that I used to buy from a stationers near to where it worked in Berkeley Square. That was a wonderful shop - I used to haunt it in my lunch hour! And always written with a fountain pen. I passed my last one on to GS a couple of years ago, having had it refurbished and his initials engraves on the barrel. I don’t think he uses it, but no matter. He will keep it.
I have to admit I hadn’t noticed that writing paper was becoming a thing of the past. My handwriting is so shocking now that I now write long rambling emails to friends instead of letters.

Chocolatelovinggran Sat 08-Nov-25 08:00:14

I write letters still, and my family knows my penchant for nice stationery, so often buy me lovely paper when they see it.
I have some from Venice, some customised, some deckle edged. I suspect that I will be the last in the family to do this.

NotAGran55 Sat 08-Nov-25 08:09:09

John Lewis have A4 pads and envelopes in stock on line.
Click and collect from Waitrose?

cornergran Sat 08-Nov-25 08:14:10

A friend sent me some as a gift (from Amazon) along with a new pen for a lockdown birthday. I just wish my handwriting lived up to it!

HelterSkelter1 Sat 08-Nov-25 08:17:46

Well that was interesting. That well known on line service sells several different sizes and 2 colours of Basildon Bond paper, white or champagne. With or without envelopes. And in the last month several 100s of people have bought them.

Still can't remember the brand name of the deckle edged paper. I don't think it was B Bond.

I mostly email or ring friends, but a letter needed to be written as there was too much to say for a card. Sometimes I put a shorter letter on a sheet of paper in a card.
I remember the onion skin paper for overseas. And the blue letter/envelopes. I agree with the PP above no doubt they would get lost now and found 50 years later.
I do find my hand writing is losing definition now probably with lack of use. Shopping lists are not long enough and too rushed and scribbled. I shall try harder.
I expect a larger department store would sell stationery sets in their starionery and pen department unless that has disappeared as well.

HelterSkelter1 Sat 08-Nov-25 08:46:44

Crikey. Checked on the J Lewis website. Good selection of their own paper, but click and collect is for goods totalling 40.00. Free delivery is now for a total of 70.00+. I will check on the waitrose website and see if they stock it on line but not in store.

That increase for click and collect was a surprise. I am sure last time I had used it the threshold was 15.00. And I am sure it was 8.00 or thereabouts some time back.

NotSpaghetti Sat 08-Nov-25 08:59:39

Amazon sells Three Candlesticks writing paper (which my dad liked) and this company definitely sells another brand:

cultpens.com/

keepingquiet Sat 08-Nov-25 09:01:16

cornergran

A friend sent me some as a gift (from Amazon) along with a new pen for a lockdown birthday. I just wish my handwriting lived up to it!

Here we go again! Why do we need to know it's from Amazon!! I think Gransnet has shares...

NotSpaghetti Sat 08-Nov-25 09:04:34

...I don't expect cornergran is a Gransnet "plant".
I'm not.

Homestead62 Sat 08-Nov-25 10:32:01

Ryman used to sell Basildon Bond. I use A4 pad or notepaper. It's such a pity letter writing is dying out. I also love getting a card.

grumppa Sat 08-Nov-25 11:19:17

I print my own on A4 or A5 as required. Mostly for letters of sympathy and condolence.

Crossstitchfan Sat 08-Nov-25 11:27:17

This reminded me of when I was a child. I used to love my Christmas Stocking but used to make my parents laugh because I would tip it out and scrabble through looking for a gift that could possibly be a stationery set! That, apparently, was all I really cared about and wouldn’t open any other presents until I knew there was one in there! I still remember the thrill of using it for the first time. It even made writing thank-you letters enjoyable! I was a strange child!

Allira Sat 08-Nov-25 12:18:55

I still have some Basildon Bond writing paper and envelopes that I've had for years.

This year I'll make an effort to write some letters to put in Christmas cards. 🎄

Gin Sat 08-Nov-25 12:19:13

I love receiving letters but it doesn’t happen much these days. I still send letters but type them as my arthritic hands have made my writing quite illegible.

Funnily enough my DH has just asked me what it is I have written on the shopping list and neither of us can decipher it!
What will historians refer to in the future with no written communications to refer to? Will our e-mails still be saved?

I lived abroad for many years and some of my weekly letters to my mother have survived, it is so interesting to read them. I wish I had kept hers, so neatly written and full of love. Also my son’s weekly letters from school, even if the main content was rugby or cricket scores. We should get out our pens and write to loved ones, I am sure they would appreciate it, even if not written on the best Basildon Bond.

Allira Sat 08-Nov-25 12:20:47

keepingquiet

cornergran

A friend sent me some as a gift (from Amazon) along with a new pen for a lockdown birthday. I just wish my handwriting lived up to it!

Here we go again! Why do we need to know it's from Amazon!! I think Gransnet has shares...

I think someone mentioned Waitrose too

😲

HelterSkelter1 Sat 08-Nov-25 12:39:58

Yes I mentioned Waitrose and Tesco. And even John Lewis. Would love shares in all 3.

I do have shares but the company is american and no one would know it or even be interested. Not Tesla sadly. Oops theres another company mention.

Allira Sat 08-Nov-25 12:49:40

😁

keepingquiet Sat 08-Nov-25 20:01:53

Waitrose, Tesco and John Lewis are all British companies with stores (just about, with John Lewis!) on the High Street where you can walk in and buy stuff.

They are not to be compared with Amazon- there I go! I mentioned it myself!!!

Allira Sat 08-Nov-25 20:09:49

😁

Amazon does sell goods from British companies
You just have to do some homework.

Did I just mention Amazon 😲