Item Type: Concertina
SummaryFull Description: C Wheatstone No 5076 48-Key English system, No 5076, with the "By HER Majesty's" label: Another appearance in the Collection's Wheatstones of the mid-1850s highly decorative, brass-inlaid design, with new pattern of gilt-embossing on the bellows-frames. 48 Nickel-columned, silver capped keys. Fine machine-cut rosewood frets, (sub-fret baffles absent). The ends are inlaid with scrolled brass inlays to the corners, and with delicate gilt-embossed leather (in a new pattern) on the bellows-frames. An appearance of the new pattern gold and green floral-patterned bellows papers, one with the Wheatstone label, and Round-ended brass reed-frames, steel reeds (probably fitted at a later repair at Crabb & Son, whose label is within the bellows) and an early appearance of extra reed-chamber cork cross-pieces added across ALL reed chambers. The large annular pan-label bears the Wheatstone & Co Conduit Street address, and the later rectangular leatherette case has a full early format "West Street" gilt on black label in its lid. Concertina Summary: C Wheatstone No 5076 48-Key English system, No 5076, with the "By HER Majesty's" label: Another early appearance in the Collection's Wheatstones of the mid-1850s highly decorative, gilt-embossed, brass-inlaid design, and exhibiting fine frets, now machine-cut.The reeds are in standard round-ended brass reed-frames, and there is a large annular pan-label bearing Wheatstone & Co's address. Owner or Collection: Concertina Museum, Belper Maker: C Wheatstone Maker Links: Concertina, Charles Wheatstone No 5076 http://www.concertina.com/wheatstone/index.htm Wheatstone Ledgers Link: www.horniman.info/WNCMARC/C1048/PAGES/C4P0140S.HTM Acquired at Conduit Street as an "exchange" by Mr Arkin 0n 14th December 1852.The link www.concertina.com/calculator/index.htm indicates that the equivalent year-2000 price for a similar gilt-embossed instrument would be around £6,000. Region of Manufacture: London Main Maker's Label Wording: "By her Majesty's Letters Patent, C Wheatstone, Inventor, 20 Conduit Street, Regent Street, London" System Type: 48-Key Treble English system Source Catalogue No: The Concertina Museum Collection Ref:C-090. |
Maker DetailsWheatstone & Co. were founded in 1824, and survived until 1974. In 1975 the company was refounded by Steve Dickinson. C. Wheatstone & Co was established in London, England by Charles Wheatstone (uncle to Sir Charles and William Dolman Wheatstone) at the beginning of the 19th Century. They moved to 20 Conduit Street, London, England in 1824. After the death of William in 1862, the firm was taken over by Edward Chidley, a distant relation. Edward Chidley died in 1899, and the firm was then controlled by his sons Edward and Percy. In 1905 the firm moved to 15 West Street. After the death of the younger Edward Chidley in 1943, part of the firm was sold to Besson & Co., who were taken over by Boosey & Hawkes in 1948. In 1958 they moved to Duncan Terrace, Islington, North London. In 1961 the Duncan Terrace property was sold, and the remains of Wheatstone & Co. were moved to the Boosey & Hawkes factory in Edgware, Middlesex. The company ceased trading on the death of its last employee in 1974. The remains of the company were purchased by Steve Dickinson in 1975. |
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Created August 2009 by Neil Wayne
Last Modified 07 February 2012 by Neil Wayne, Chris Flint, Wes Williams
This page created Tuesday 14 February 2012.