Violin Bow by W E Hill Brian Alvey London Gold HM

The London-based firm W.E. Hill & Sons dominated the fine instrument and bow market in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Its far-sighted approach to restoration preserved many important classical Italian instruments and the Hill name became a byword for expertise. 

The Hill workshop also employed many fine makers in the manufacture of instruments and cases, but their speciality was bows. Among the firm’s most celebrated bow makers are James Tubbs, Samuel Allen, William Charles Retford and Albert Leeson. Alfred Hill instituted an established style for the firm’s bows based on the Tourte violin bow and Voirin cello bow, uniting individual makers’ work into a distinctly British product of uniformly high quality.

Brian Alvey (b. 1949): English bow maker, served a five year apprenticeship at W.E. Hill and Sons, remaining at the firm until 1978. Style mostly that of the Hill workshop although uses a gold laurel-wreath inlay for his gold and tortoiseshell bows.


Stamp: W. E. Hill & Sons 

Shape: Round 

Wood: Pernambuco 

Mounting: Gold

Weight: 63.36g

SKU: PB1012-AL-C

Certification: n/a

Level: Professional