Closure of Finchcocks...

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jack
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#1 Closure of Finchcocks...

Post by jack »

Some of you may know of the Finchcocks collection of keyboard instruments in Goudhurst - a truly wonderful collection of fortepianos, chamber organs, clavichords and harpsichords from the 17th to late 19th century.

The internationally famous museum of working instruments closed today after nearly 50 years of wonderful music - many of the instruments were playable and if you asked, you could have a go on most of them - some are worth £100s, some in the many £10,000s and some rather more. Concerts were held all the time with internationally renowned pianists, organists and singers regularly performing - you could sit on the stairs, just a few metres from the stage, and lose yourself in the beauty of it all.

Richard Burnett, who built the collection, is in poor health and the Grade 1 listed house and contents are being sold - the house, should you want it (in need of some repair) is on at about £3.2 million - the bulk of the instruments are expected to fetch about £3.5million.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the final performance in the house - the bulk of the contents are being auctioned on the 11th May - http://www.dreweatts.com/cms/pages/press-2015-12-21

An absolutely lovely way to spend a Bank Holiday Monday :)

The pieces in the photo below, which date from the early 17th to late 18th century, are being kept and the money from the sale is being put into a charitable trust to train young musicians in the use of & techniques for maintaining these beautiful instruments.
IMG_20160328_114907-1024x768.jpg
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
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