@Erica McPhee - I spend a lot of time doing academic research and going to conferences in the UK, and I did a study abroad program at Cambridge back when I was in college.
Others will have recommendations for where to shop, but if you're traveling around the UK and Ireland, as a calligrapher, you might really enjoy seeing some of the medieval manuscripts on display (although this might not be the sort of thing you had in mind) or other historic documents.
For instance, if you'll be in Dublin, it's worth the price of admission and the line to see the 9th-century Book of Kells at Trinity College (
https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/book-of-kells/). Not only is it one of the most beautiful manuscripts ever produced, but it's also kind of terrible! As an actual text of the bible, it is shockingly full of errors and inaccuracies, misspellings and skipped words. But who cares when it's so beautiful! Let it be a lesson to all calligraphers who strive for perfection and accuracy. Sometimes beautiful is enough.
* You also get to see the Old Library with your admission ticket.
** You have kids, yes? There's a very cute animated movie called "The Secret of Kells" (total fiction/fantasy, of course) about monks and manuscripts that back in the day made my kids much more interested in going to look at this super old book. Bonus round: it will also make them more interested to see a sight such as Clonmacnoise, one of the most important monasteries and centers of learning in medieval Europe (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonmacnoise). The setting of "The Secret of Kells" film was based on Clonmacnoise.
I'm assuming that you'll spend at least a couple days in London....
So, if you have professional credentials (which, yes - you're a calligrapher!), you can request a reader pass at the British Library:
https://www.bl.uk/help/how-to-get-a-reader-pass. That will enable you to access their astounding collection and look at historic documents, manuscripts from all eras (lots of pointed pen work!), up close and personal:
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues-and-collections/catalogues* Note - this is an alone-time activity. Not for the kids. Or the spouse (well, not mine, at least). You need to plan it out months in advance to peruse the catalog online and let them know what to prepare for you to look at, but if this is a once in a lifetime sort of trip for you, maybe it's not so unreasonable to take the time to feed your professional interest in this way.
**On the other hand, the British
Museum has spectacular exhibits for everyone. And it's free (although it's good manners to leave a £5 donation). You can see the manuscript of Beowulf, from around the year 1000! It's kind of messed up, because it was in a fire. They have the Lindisfarne Gospels on display as well - the pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon manuscript art.
As an academic specialist in medieval paleography, this is my world, and I can keep recommending things to go see all day and night (as well as how to finagle access). Let me know if you want more - or more specific places to see pointed pen work. But those are my top two picks of things calligraphers should do in the UK. I'll be in Durham, UK, myself, in July, giving a presentation on my current work at the biennial congress of the New Chaucer Society. I'd invite you to come see it, but it's on the opposite end of England from Devonshire, and alas, the program is for members only (and also probably kind of dull).
--yours, K