Bristol

Of all the places we serve, Bristol is the one with the longest claim on us. Handel Lovell was a working accordionist, composer and bandleader, and he started selling instruments here in 1927, at the height of the accordion's first great surge of popularity in Britain.

 

From Bristol to Berkshire

His son Coe Lovell took the business on and ran it from London after the war. Coe's son Bev opened a shop in Staines in 1969 and moved to the present Sunningdale showroom in 1993, where Bev runs it today with his son Chris — the fourth generation of the family in the trade. Almost a century on, we still only sell one family of instrument.

 

Coming to see us from Bristol

Bristol is around two hours away on the M4, and a good number of West Country customers make the trip. We hold around 170 instruments in stock, and you are welcome to play any of them. If you are travelling that far, ring ahead so we can have the instruments you are interested in ready and someone free to spend proper time with you.

 

West Country folk and traditional playing

There is a strong folk and morris tradition across the West Country, and much of it runs on free reed instruments. Alongside piano accordions we stock melodeons, concertinas and other folk instruments. Delivery to mainland UK addresses is free if the drive is not practical.