TW Howarth

Britain’s leading outlet for woodwind instruments and accessories operates across three separate storefronts selling in clarinets, saxophones, bassoons and oboes. It stocks specialist CDs, accessories and sheet music, and has four full-time staff who look after repairs. Yamaha remains the market leader, but the best saxes and clarinets are French (Selmer, Buffet, LeBlanc), while the best bassoons tend to be German (Gebrüder Mönnig, Oscar Adler and the like). The shop also sells second-hand instruments and runs a rental scheme. Over the road (No.34) the Early Music Shop specialises in musical instruments and sheet music from the 18th century, and stocks harps, viols, flutes, baroque cellos, zithers, crumhorns, folk and world instruments.