The Concertina Museum Collection Ref:C-084.



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Item Type: Concertina

Summary Labels and Serial Numbers End Frets Fingering System Straps and Holding Devices Fret Baffle Action Board Reeds and Reed Pans Bellows Case and Other

Summary

Full Description: C Wheatstone No 36071. A fine and large Wheatstone 72-Key, Tortoiseshel-ended, Gold-plated Maccann Duet "Ĉola" in its standard Octagonal form. This model is a high quality Duet system Ĉola, No 36071, made in late 1939, and as shown on the original West Street receipt in the case, was finally paid for in instalments, finishing on 19th August 1940. Its price was £42, (a year 2000 equivalent of over £4,000.) It has inset & chrome plated metal ends, inset to the ebony-veneered end-frames, and with scalloped Wheatstone & Co labels and Number mounts. The blued-steel reeds are now in long-scale round-ended aluminium reed-frames with to two smaller sized steel screws securing the tongues. A previous owner has moved several of the reed-pairs to different chambers, and has left full details of the changes in pencil on the underside of the action and on the inner face of the reed-pans.C Wheatstone No 36071. A fine and large Wheatstone 72-Key, Tortoiseshel-ended, Gold-plated Maccann Duet "Ĉola" in its standard Octagonal form. This model is a high quality Duet system Ĉola, No 36071, made in 1954. It has high-gloss raised tortoiseshell ends and the scalloped Wheatstone & Co labels and Number mounts. A later shiny leather baffle, perforated with many holes is glued uinder the sub-fret gauze baffles, to further reduce the sound volume produced by this instrument. It is a fully-equipped lavish model, gold plated parts, and with neck strap and fittings, a zipped outer case over the leather square case, and red leather bellows and gilt-named hand-straps. There is a large file of correspondence from Wheatstone's, mainly signed K V Chidley, and a full range of mid-'50s Catalogues, Brochures and fingering charts. However, even though all the letter refer to the Order, Price, and shipping of a 58-key instrument, the ACTUAL model is of 72-key Maccann layout! The gold-plated key-caps are crimped on to white plastic key-cores. The blued-steel reeds are in long-scale round-ended brass reed-frames with to two smaller sized steel screws securing the tongues, and the reed-pans are radial right to the central hole, and have very slim dividers, and every reed chamber has a separate cross-piece. The inner parts only have the "Batch Number" of the instrument, in this case "401".

Concertina Summary: C Wheatstone No 36071. A fine and large Wheatstone 72-Key, Tortoiseshel-ended, Gold-plated Maccann Duet "Ĉola" in its standard Octagonal form. This model is a high quality Duet system Ĉola, No 36071, made in 1954. It has high-gloss raised tortoiseshell ends and the scalloped Wheatstone & Co labels and Number mounts. The blued-steel reeds are in long-scale round-ended brass reed-frames with to two smaller sized steel screws securing the tongues. The inner parts only have the "Batch Number" of the instrument, in this case "401".

Owner or Collection: Concertina Museum, Belper

Maker: C Wheatstone

Maker Links: Concertina, Charles Wheatstone No 36071 http://www.concertina.com/wheatstone/index.htm

Wheatstone Ledgers Link: www.horniman.info/DKNSARC/SD03/PAGES/D3P0710S.HTM This instrument was made on 19th August 1954, well after manufacturing was resumed after the Second World War. It appears in the Dickinson Series of Ledgers that list all instruments from Serial Number 25001, made in May 1910, right up to the closure of the Wheatstone section of Boosey & Hawkes' Edgware factory in January 1974. For details of these Ledgers, visit www.horniman.info/. The link www.concertina.com/calculator/index.htm indicates that the equivalent price for this instrument in year 2000 would be £3,303.95.

Region of Manufacture: London

Main Maker's Label Wording: The later style of scalloped black-on-metal "West Street" Wheatstone labelling (introduced from the 1930s), is pinned to the large raised ends, "Manufacturers C. Wheatstone & Co, London". The LH end has a similar label, with the Serial Number stamped into a central un-painted rectangular area, with the labelling "C Wheatstone" and "Made in England" above and below the number area.

Principal Serial Number: 36071. The LH end has the 1930s-style scalloped black-on-metal "West Street" label, with the Serial Number stamped into a central un-painted rectangular area, with the labelling "C Wheatstone" and "Made in England" above and below the number area. Other parts only have the "Batch Number" of the instrument, in this case "401".

System Type: Wheatstone 72-Key Maccann Duet "Ĉola" in its standard Octagonal form.

Source Catalogue No: The Concertina Museum Collection Ref:C-084.






Maker Details

Wheatstone & 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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The Concertina Museum Collection

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.