Stephen's Page
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Hello, I'm Stephen Robinson. Thank you for visiting my personal page. Scarlett
Rickard drew this picture of me with my partner Catherine
Carr. On this page you will find a brief biography and an invitation to visit us in Clitheroe. |
At school I specialised in Latin and Greek, though I also made pottery and played the oboe; music has always been an important part of my life. In my third year at Cambridge (Clare College) I switched from Classics to Maths, so my degree is something of a hybrid.
After graduating I worked for a year with IBM, but soon realised that the corporate life was not for me. I became a gardener, first in south London, then in Regents Park, where I worked in Queen Mary's Garden for two years. I spent four more years gardening near Tunbridge Wells, then studied at Pershore for the National Diploma in Horticulture (now M.Hort.) In 1979 I moved to Lancashire as a garden designer and tree surgeon.
Later, my sister Buffy Robinson, the Batik artist, asked me to set up a computer system for her business, and it was while I was working for her that a friend lent me a George Pyne violin and a Hill bow, and I began taking lessons (at the age of 34!). I now get enormous pleasure from playing the viola, particularly in Haydn's quartets (strictly in camera) and in the Lancashire Chamber Orchestra.
I quickly became fascinated by the idea of building a violin, and started optimistically working from a book. During the year it took me to make this first instrument, I made a thorough nuisance of myself, demanding criticism and advice from any violin maker I could find; a habit which has stood me in good stead ever since.
Gradually instrument making took over my life. I went to the Stradivari exhibition in Cremona in 1987, which opened my eyes to some of the subtleties of arching, though it wasn't until I spent a few days with Gil Solomon a year or two later that the lessons really began to sink in. The Guarneri exhibition in New York was another great stimulus to my ideas on making. I have been a full-time maker since 1994.
Having arrived by the scenic route, I am proud that my work can now compete on equal terms with that of my colleagues at a time when British violin making is recognised to be at its all-time best, and is as good as any in the world. I shall always work to improve the quality of my instruments both functionally and aesthetically, and I would like to record my continuing thanks and admiration for the openness and generosity of the many fine makers in this country who continue to share ideas, expertise and constructive criticism. The work of the British Violin Making Association is an example of how, in a very competitive business, professional rivals can work together and with amateur makers to raise standards for the benefit of all.
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We live at 16 Bawdlands in a
terraced cottage built in around 1824. My
workshop is one of the two main downstairs
rooms. Upstairs we have a music
room/library with a DAT recording machine so you
can hear yourself playing from the other side of
the room. If you are trying other
instruments as well as mine, do bring them with
you. Tell me whether you are coming by train or
by car and I will give appropriate
directions. Please make an appointment, or I
may not be at home. Our postal address is 16 Bawdlands Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 2JZ. E-mail stephen.robinson@telinco.co.uk or phone +44(0)1200 427735. |
From here you can return to the index page, look at my violins or violas or visit my baroque page.
Email: stephen.robinson@telinco.co.uk
16 Bawdlands Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 2JZ UK - Phone: +44 (0)1200 427735