Finchcocks

Finchcocks is an early Georgian manor house in Goudhurst, Kent, which houses a large collection of historical keyboard instruments: harpsichords, clavichords, fortepianos, square pianos, organs and other musical instruments. The house and collection are owned by Richard and Katrina Burnett.

The house

The house was built in 1725 and named after the family who lived on the site in the 13th century. It is noted for its brickwork and has a dramatic front elevation attributed to Thomas Archer. It is located in 13 acres of grounds. There is parkland to the front and a garden to the rear with wide lawns, mature shrub borders, an orchard for wild flowers and a walled garden. There are extensive views over the Kentish landscape of park, farmland, and hop-gardens. The house, with its high ceilings and oak panelling, provides an ideal setting for music performed on period instruments and the house and instruments have been used regularly for recordings by leading exponents of early music such as Trevor Pinnock, Simon Preston and Nigel North.

The Finchcocks collection

Finchcocks was acquired by Richard Burnett, a fortepianist, in 1970. The Adlam Burnett workshop (founded by Derek Adlam and Richard Burnett) was set up at the house and enabled instrument makers to produce copies of historical keyboard instruments in an ideal environment, learning from the construction of many originals. The building now houses the Katrina and Richard Burnett collection of over 100 historical keyboard instruments; about 40 are fully restored to playing condition. These can be seen and heard whenever the house is open to the public; it is one of the few collections of historical instruments at which people are welcome to play them themselves.

There is also collection of musical pictures, prints and an exhibition on the theme of 18th century pleasure gardens such as Vauxhall and Ranelagh.

Historical instruments in the collection

Clavichords

*Lindholm and Söderström: unfretted, 1806
*Georg Friedrich Schmahl: fretted, 1807

Harpsichords

*Joachim Antunes: single manual, 1785
*Thomas Blasser: double manual, 1744
*C.A.: bentside spinet, c.1700
*Fr. Ant. L.: single manual, 1716
*Gregori: single manual, c.1697
*Onofrio Guarracino: virginal, 1668
*Jacob Kirckman: double manual, 1756
*Joseph Mahoon: bentside spinet, 1742

Organs

*Anon: chamber organ, c.1680; chamber organ, c.1790; miniature free-reed organ, c.1860
*Alexandre Père et Fils: harmonium, 1859
*Autophone Company: cob organ (portable free-reed barrel organ), c.1885
*John Avery: chamber organ, 1792
*William Ayton: barrel organ, c.1800
*John Byfield: chamber organ, 1766
*Longman and Broderip: barrel organ, c.1790

Pianos

* Anon: portable square piano, c.1815; lyre piano (possibly Schleip, Berlin), c.1825; domestic barrel piano, 19th century
* Gustaf and Wilhelm Andersson: barrel piano, c.1890
* Bayes and Company: square piano, 1793
* Frederick Beale: upright euphonicon, c.1842
* Adam Beyer: square piano, 1777
* John Brinsmead and Sons: upright, c.1855
* John Broadwood and Son: grand, 1792; square, 1795; square, 1798; grand, 1801; square, c.1805
* John Broadwood and Sons: grand, c.1810; square, c.1820; grand, 1823; cabinet upright, c.1830; grand, 1846; square, 1858; grand, 1859; upright, c.1870
* Muzio Clementi and Company: grand, c.1800; upright grand, 1804; square, c.1815; square, c.1815; square, c.1815; grand, c.1815; grand, c.1821; grand, 1822; cabinet upright, c.1825; cabinet upright, c.1825
* Collard and Collard: square, c.1835; grand, c.1835; grand, c.1840
* William Edwards: cabinet upright, c.1825
* W.J. Ennever and Son: upright, c.1850
* Sébastien Erard: square, 1792
* Erard Frères: grand, 1801
* Erard: upright, c.1860; grand, 1866
* Johann Fritz: grand, c.1815
* Christopher Ganer: square, c.1780; square, 1784
* Conrad Graf: grand, c.1820; grand, 1826
* Crang Hancock: transverse grand, 1779
* Carl Henschker: grand, c.1840
* Mathias Jakesch: grand, 1832
* Jones, Round and Company: upright grand, c.1810
* William Kearsing: square, c.1830
* Knowles and Allen: square, c.1805
* Sebastian Lengerer: grand, 1793
* Longman, Lukey and Company: square, c.1780
* Frederick Mathuschek: square, 1873
* Sébastien Mercier: upright, 1831
* Henri Pape: upright piano-console, 1841; upright piano-console, 1843
* Ignace Pleyel et Compagnie: upright, c.1840; grand, 1842
* Michael Rosenberger: grand, c.1800
* Leopold Sauer: pyramid piano, c.1805
* William Southwell: upright square, c.1800
* Robert Stodart: grand, 1787
* William and Matthew Stodart: grand, 1802; square, 1807
* Johann Baptist Streicher: grand, 1867
* Anton Walter und Sohn: square, c.1800
* Wilson: square, 1789
* Robert Woffington: upright, c.1800
* Johannes Zumpe and Gabriel Buntebart: square, 1769

Others

* Anon: cylinder musical box with drum and bells, c.1895
* Busson: piano accordion, c.1850
* Chappell and Company: keyboard crystallophone (or 'pianino'), c.1815; digitorium, c.1870
* Paul Lochmann: symphonion (disc musical box), c.1895
* Thomas Machell and Sons: dulcitone, c.1920
* J Tait: angelica (musical glasses), c.1815

Related publications

*Burnett, R: "English Pianos at Finchcocks", "Early Music" (1985)
*Burnett, K and R: "Finchcocks Past & Present" (1989)
*Dow, W: "Finchcocks Collection, Catalogue: the Richard Burnett Collection of Historical Keyboard *Instruments" (1989)

External links

*http://www.finchcocks.co.uk/