Our Favourite British Violin Makers in 2024

Colin Cross is a British maker and restorer whose instruments are played by professional musicians across the United Kingdom and abroad. His reputation as a restorer is well earned, and players and dealerships send specialist projects to him from hundreds of miles away.

He works principally from Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu, and makes violins, violas and cellos. The finishes are deep and unshowy, with the detail of the woodwork left visible rather than obscured, and his cellos are often built to slightly smaller dimensions than standard.

Cross instruments are in the hands of high-profile players in the UK and overseas, and his restoration work passes through many of the country's leading workshops.

We have been admirers of Colin's work for years, and what keeps us going back is the value. His Stradivari models give a rich, full sound with real projection and precision, and a resonance through the middle register that is unusual at this level. The Guarneri models sit darker and warmer, well rounded and complex, and suit expressive playing. His cellos are worth singling out: the smaller dimensions make them very comfortable under the hand and quick to respond, with a clear core and weight in the lower strings that never costs the sweetness up top. One of the best quartet cellos we have handled.

W. E. Hill & Sons is a London firm established in 1880. For over two and a half centuries the Hill name has stood for craftsmanship and for the highest standards of expertise in the English tradition, and it remains synonymous with English violin making.

The firm makes instruments, bows and accessories entirely in its own Hampstead workshop. New making is directed today by Stefan-Peter Greiner and Robert Brewer Young, continuing where the historic Hill instruments left off. The models are drawn from the finest examples available: golden-period Stradivari including the "Messiah" of 1716, Carlo Bergonzi, and the "Rode" Guarneri del Gesu of 1734.

Hill instruments and bows are played and collected worldwide, and the firm's historic certificates remain among the most recognised documents in the trade.

Both Hill violins we have handled showed the same command of the model with quite different characters. The Bergonzi is bright and distinctive, extremely responsive and precise, and that clarity gives it plenty of projection, particularly in the higher register, with a wide tonal range and the brilliance many players are looking for. The "Rode" Guarneri is charming and balanced, with an E string that sings beautifully and depth and resonance across the whole range, and it is versatile enough to move between settings without complaint.

Philippe Briand is a French luthier based in Canterbury, Kent. He works both as a maker and, principally, as a restorer, and is very well known for his varnish.

He trained at the Newark School of Violin Making from 2001 to 2005 under Patrick Jowett, Kerry Boylan, Robert Cain, Paul Harrild and Paul Gossling. He went on to become senior restorer at Bridgewood and Neitzert in London, and has worked freelance for J&A Beare since 2015. He makes violins, violas, cellos and double basses.

His instruments are played by orchestral and chamber musicians across the United Kingdom, and his restoration work passes through some of London's most significant workshops.

The violin we had from Philippe was very even and a delight to play. The bow travels seamlessly from one string to the next and the sound stays smooth right through, with good projection that carries in larger spaces. It suits orchestral or chamber playing particularly well. His restoration background is not incidental to that: a maker who spends most of his time inside other people's instruments tends to build with a very clear idea of what actually works.