Blüthner Piano Centre on Baker Street offers a large selection of new and pre-owned instruments, fully customisable design pianos, tuning and servicing as well as fully air-conditioned practice studios. As a direct subsidiary of Blüthner Pianos Leipzig in Germany our UK branch is managed by Dr Christian Blüthner-Haessler, the fifth generation of the Blüthner family.
Blüthner in the United Kingdom
In 1876, the Anglo-Continental Piano Company, under the leadership of Mr Maxwell and his partner, Mr Hanson, became the official agent in the United Kingdom for the renowned German piano manufacturer Julius Blüthner Leipzig. The British company subsequently changed its name to Blüthner & Company, marking the beginning of Blüthner’s long-standing presence in the United Kingdom. Its head office was located at 7–13 Wigmore Street, London.
In 1890, Blüthner & Co. was granted the prestigious title of Purveyor to the Court of Queen Victoria, a distinction that was subsequently renewed by Queen Alexandra. Following the death of Julius Blüthner in 1910, his sons assumed responsibility for the Leipzig factory, and in 1911 the royal appointment was renewed once again. An agreement dating from the same year committed Blüthner Leipzig to supplying a minimum of 700 instruments annually.
In 1896, Julius Blüthner Leipzig and Blüthner & Co. entered into an agreement granting the British company exclusive agency rights for Great Britain and Ireland for a period of 60 years. That same year, Blüthner & Co. was incorporated as a limited liability company. Julius Blüthner took the opportunity to acquire shares in the company and was appointed as one of its directors. When Mr Hanson left the company in 1889, Mr Maxwell was joined by Mr John Whelpdale. Following the rise of the National Socialist government in Germany in 1933, and in an effort to avoid the political complications associated with the company’s German name, the British business changed its name in 1939 from Blüthner & Co. Ltd. to Whelpdale, Maxwell & Codd Ltd. Mr Codd, a nephew of Mr Whelpdale, had previously received professional training as a piano maker at the Julius Blüthner factory in Leipzig.
Having weathered the trials and tribulations of the Second World War, as well as the political and economic challenges of the post-war period, Ingbert Blüthner-Haessler was keen to re-establish and strengthen Blüthner’s business relations with Britain. Sales grew rapidly, and in 1986, when the lease on the Conduit Street premises expired, the showroom was relocated to Berkeley Square. This was followed by a further move to Davies Street in 2003. In 2016, Blüthner Piano Centre opened its doors on Baker Street, where it continues Blüthner’s long-standing tradition in the United Kingdom to this day.
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