Blog

OK, so we have finished another instrument, it has been a long gestation, at times lurching forwards and at other times a slow and contradictory muddle. 

Roger Hansell is a violin maker whose business is based in the beautiful county of North Yorkshire. He is known worldwide for his acutely observed copies. Sound has always held a fascination for him, building his own record player and listening to music...

The technique of ebonizing came about during the 1800’s in the reign of Queen Victoria and had much to do with the regular influx of furniture being imported to the West from Eastern Asia. It has waxed and waned as a popular technique but could have...

When I was 19, I would cycle past the Tate (Tate Britain as it now is) on my way to art school. Most days I would go in, transfixed by the paintings. Turner in particular was arresting. Why did his sunsets stream from the canvas? How were they so warm?...

Instruments by Andrea Amati are always special and this is true of this small violin which used to be displayed in the Royal Academy of Music but which now belongs to the Jumpstart Foundation in the Netherlands. I have known this violin for many years...