how to use www.greatbritishviolins.com
GreatBritishViolins.com is an incomplete work in progress, I decided to publish now, and I hope that you'll find it useful. As it grows in size it will become a more helpful resource for everything to do with British violin making including violas, cellos, double bass and bows, and as research evolves all entries are subject to change so don't take it for granted that the information will remain the same. If you are looking to identify an instrument or know more about a maker this should be a helpful first place to find information.
If you are looking for a more solid authentication of your instrument including certification, we are happy to discuss what we are able to offer including certification and valuation services.
My speciality and passion has always been for British violins. It is a broad field that ranges from 19th century amateur violins to the work some of the finest immigrant European makers attracted to work in London. Amongst these there are roughly one hundred makers for every century that are capable of producing instruments of outstanding merit, yet they continue to achieve relatively modest prices when compared against French and Italian instruments of equivalent musical worth. To my mind there is all the more interest in working with British instruments, because they are the ones that offer professional musicians some of the best value for money of all of the violin market.
My speciality and passion has always been for British violins. It is a broad field that ranges from 19th century amateur violins to the work some of the finest immigrant European makers attracted to work in London. Amongst these there are roughly one hundred makers for every century that are capable of producing instruments of outstanding merit, yet they continue to achieve relatively modest prices when compared against French and Italian instruments of equivalent musical worth. To my mind there is all the more interest in working with British instruments, because they are the ones that offer professional musicians some of the best value for money of all of the violin market.
If you have an interest in a violin maker that is not shown here please also get in touch. I can't promise an immediate response, and we need to research any maker that features on here. As much as possible the biographies and criticism rests on first-hand knowledge - I have been anxious to produce critical biographies rather than to copy dictionaries that already exist, and also to provide elements of our experience handling instruments by these makers.
