Instruments Collection

Long-Case by Tompion
Long-case clock by Thomas Tompion

Church Bell Ringers
Ringing the changes in the belfry of an English parish church at Christmas time

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by William McLaren
King Arthur welcomes the Green Knight into the Banqueting Hall and invites him to dismount and eat with the company. Everyone is amazed to see the unexpected visitor

Advertisement for Steinway Pianos - no drawing room of distinction has the ideally correct note unless it contains one. circa 1930s

Ukulele Song 1926
A happy couple singing by moonlight: Give me a ukulele... and a ukulele baby... and leave the rest to me

Wurlitzer Pipe Organ Ad
WURLITZER Have your own Wurlitzer installed at home and charm the hours away with the lovliest of melodies

Orrery, 19th Century
Planetarium or orrery

Astrolabe & Quadrant
Astrolabe and quadrant

Galileos Telescope
Galileos telescope

BABBAGEs ENGINE (1)
Babbages Difference Engine - he was continually modifying the design, as with modern computers, so it is not possible to date this precisely

Various musical instruments

HARPIST
A medieval lady plays a small harp

Central Computer / Harwell
The Central Computer at Harwell serves over 600 users and has 200 typewriter terminals distributed around the site. This view shows the IBM 360/75

ROWLEYs ORRERY, 1749
Rowleys Orrery

Organist Plays with Fire
While fire rages in Norwich cathedral, the organist plays on... and is found by the firemen half-asphyxiated by the smoke

BABBAGEs ENGINE (2)
Charles Babbages Difference Engine, an instrument which went beyond simple calculation to embody some of the principles of computers

Swinging on Ringing Bell
The bell ringers of Seville - a rather unusual method where the ringers are swinging on the bells themselves

Jazz orchestra by the pool on board the Mauretania
A jazz orchestra entertains passengers by the pool on board the ocean liner, the Mauretania, just one of the many amusements available. Date: 1931

Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765). Musical party given by Ca
Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765). Italian painter. Musical party given by Cardinal De La Rochefoucauld at the Argentina Theatre in Rome in 1747. Museum of Louvre. Paris. France

Peruvian Quipu
The QUIPU used by the ancient Peruvians to record events, keep accounts. This unattributed illustration comes from the Swedish Magazine Allers Familj Journal, 25th July 1923 issue

Two violins and a viola by Stradivarius
Two violins and a viola by Antonius Stradivarius -- 1717 violin (Hart & Son), 1762 viola (Hart & Son), The Gillot Strad, 1715 (G Haddock). 1875

Alpine Horn
Man blowing a traditional horn in the Alps. Date: 1930s

Tuba on its Own
There are three sizes of tuba - the smallest is the Euphonium : the Bombardon is the most usual; there is also the Contrabass Tuba, used in military bands and by Wagner. Date: 1897

The Emperor Stradivarius violin
The famous Emperor Stradivarius violin, dating from 1715. It was bought by the violinist and composer Jan Kubelik in 1910 for 10, 000 -- the highest price paid for a violin to that date. "

They Laughed when I
They laughed when I sat down at the piano... (and then, of course, he amazed them all with his virtuosity !)

Christmas Bell Ringers
Christmas bell ringers Date: 1869

How Pianola Works 1912
How the player-piano works - air passes through the holes in the piano-roll and acts on the bellows mechanism, causing a hammer to strike a key

Organ - Tippoos Tiger
The unusual organ Tippoos Tiger, constructed to the order of Tippoo Sahib (1753- 1799), Sultan of Mysore, and represents the mauling of an East India Company Officer

Valve Horn on its Own
The VALVE HORN (French : Cor a pistons) was introduced in the 1830s and completely replaced the Natural Horn used by Mozart and Beethoven

Lantern Clock Tompion
Lantern clock by Thomas Tompion, the father of English clock-making

Boys Band, Hull Sailors Orphanage
Boys naval band at the Hull Sailors Orphanage, also known as Newland Homes. The Homes, a cottage homes development, were established in 1895 by a charity originally called The Port of Hull Society

Orrery by Jones
Astronomical objects, namely a trajectorium lunare and an orrery or planetarium by Jones, mounted on a rather splendid stand

Wurlitzer Saxophones
Five saxophones from the Wurlitzer range

Persian Musicians
A group of Persian musicians play on a variety of instruments. Below dancing girls perform to the music

Bracket Clock Tompion
Bracket clock by Thomas Tompion

Metric System
Applications of the metric system to dimensions, weight and money

Abraham-Louis Breguet
ABRAHAM-LOUIS BREGUET French watchmaker, known for instruments of great accuracy

Lovell Telescope
The brainchild of Sir Bernard Lovell, the Lovell Radio Telescope was for many years the largest in the world and dominates the Cheshire countryside for miles around. Date: 1960s

Clock Mechanism, 1737
A diagram of the inner workings of a clock

Musical Instruments 1883
Various musicians playing various instruments: a harp, a lyre, pipes, hunting horn. Pipes of Pan are also in evidence

A Watchmaker at Work
A clock and watchmaker seated at his bench makes fine adjustments to a watch part, possibly a cog. He uses a bow lathe ?. Wall, mantel & grandfather clocks can be seen

Computer Envisaged 1927
A COMPUTER, as envisaged in 1927 [illustration to The Thought Machine by Ammianus Marcellinus]

Highland Bagpipe Player
Ross : Victorias highland piper

Lie detector 1923
American instrument for the detection of uttered fibs, falsehoods, and other untruths, based on responses of the subjects heart and lungs

Persian musicians
Three seated Persian musicians, playing a hand drum, what looks like a daf and a kamanche. A tonbak, or goblet drum, lies discarded on the ground. Date: 1870s

Advertisement for the Brinsmead grand piano
An advertisement for the Brinsmead grand piano, the best that British craftsmanship can produce, with a pure singing tone and beauty of finish. Payment by instalments can be arranged... Date: 1913

The Dixieland Jazz Band, c. 1919 Date: c.1919

Trombone, Wurlitzer
Three trombones from the Wurlitzer range

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