Please contact us for more information if you are interested in buying a cello by Jules Grandjon.

London’s dedicated cello shop is a family-run business in the heart of the West-End, situated just off Trafalgar Square in the Historic Royal Opera Arcade. Cellist and cello specialist Tom Woods has helped many of today’s top solo and orchestral cellists in buying the right cello for their career, as well as helping international orchestras, conservatoires, foundations, and collectors to buy historic and beautifully preserved examples for their collections.
Involved in selling rare 17th and 18th century Italian cellos from Cremona, Venice, Milan, Brescia, Turin, Naples, Rome, and Florence, cellos entrusted to us to sell include masterpieces by Stradivari, Montagnana, Goffriller, Guarneri, Ruggieri, Rogeri, Grancino, Testore, Tononi and Gagliano, as well as fine 19th century Italian and French cellos by Pressenda, Lupot and Vuillaume. We have sold numerous beautiful sounding 18th and 19th century English cellos by Forster, Banks, Kennedy, Betts, Dodd, Fendt, and Hill. We strive for the highest standards of authenticity and preservation; our cellos are frequently sold with accompanying historic documentation including papers and certificates by internationally renowned firms such as W.E.Hill and Sons, J & A Beare, and Vatelot Rampal. We are also an experienced retailer of fine and rare French cello bows, having sold refined 19th century works of Tourte, Peccatte, Persoit, Voirin, Henry, and Simon, as well as strong 20th century bows by Sartory, Fetique, and Ouchard. Current prices of old French bows necessitate applying the same rigorous standards of authenticity and preservation as we do to the cellos; all of our valuable French bows are supplied with certificates of authenticity by specialist Parisian bow experts Jean-Francois Raffin or Bernard Millant.

We are currently offering one of the largest selections of fully authenticated and certified 17th-20th century cellos and bows available to buy in the world, with rare and historic examples representing the fine art of Cremonese, Venetian, Neapolitan and Florentine cello-making.
Our selection includes fine and powerful-sounding cellos by 19th century Parisian maker Lupot (referred to as the French Stradivari); several cellos by dealer, expert and prolific maker Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume; cellos by the two finest generations of the Gand family including the ex-Tolbecque and a museum-quality example by Charles-Francois. Cellos by Blanchard made for the 1900 Paris Exhibition, and a decorated Paris Conservatoire cello by Silvestre showcase the quality of Lyons cello making around the turn of the century.
London is well represented, with some of the finest-sounding old English cellos in stock including Hill (one Stainer model and two Ladies’ size Amati inspired models), Fendt (Stradivari model), Lott (Guarneri model), Boullangier (Guarneri del Gesu inspired model), and Kennedy (two Amati models) currently available. We invest time and expertise in sourcing superb sounding instruments with warmth and projection. A rich bass, warm, mellow A-string and clarity of tone are a priority, as well as good articulation and even response across all registers.

Certified old French and English bows currently available include Tourte, Peccatte, Lupot, Pajeot, Voirin, Sartory, Fetique, Ouchard, Vigneron, Millant, Morizot, Bazin, Tubbs, Hill, and many more. We deal with well preserved examples, and look for good balance, lively sautillé and spiccato, stability and smoothness during legato strokes, and ability to easily draw out a full, rounded, and projecting sound from the string.
As well as dealing in rare and historic instruments, our cello shop also sells a range of old and antique Mirecourt, Mittenwald and Markneukirchen cellos in lower price ranges to suit aspiring students. Prices for our cello range currently start at around £3,000. Bow prices start at around £2,000.

Having played the cello from the age of 6, Tom completed his education at Oxford University and studied cello performance as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of music. He enjoys meeting with professional cellists and enthusiastic amateurs alike, and draws on his unique combination of cello playing experience and appreciation of the artistic and technical demands of cello performance to help clients with the process of choosing the perfect cello. If you are making a significant time investment to find the right cello or bow, let us help you in your search!

These are some examples of cellos and bows that are currently for sale. Photos and more details for a number of instruments, including certificates of authenticity and historic information, can be viewed on the “cellos” and “bows” drop-down menus located towards the top of the website.

Price range: £3,000 to £10,000

French cello made in the ‘atelier of Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, Mirecourt c.1920
19th century German cello
German cello c.1920
German cello c.1900
French cello made in the ‘atelier of Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, Mirecourt c.1890
English cello by Walter Whitaker, 1935

French cello bow by Louis Morizot, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by Charles Claude Husson, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
English cello bow by W.E.Hill and Sons
German cello bow by Weichold
English cello bow by Bill Watson

Price range £10,000 to £20,000:

French Cello made in Mirecourt c.1900
French Cello made in the ‘atelier of Laberte & Humbert, Mirecourt, c.1900
French Cello made in the ‘atelier of Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, Mirecourt c.1900
French Cello by Nicolas Guinot, Mirecourt, c.1840

French cello bow by F.N. Voirin, certificate of authenticity by Bernard Millant
French cello bow by Andre Vigneron, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by Charles Nicolas Bazin, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
English cello bow by James Tubbs
Gold-mounted cello bow by Georges Barjonnet, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin

Price range £20,000 to £30,000:

Mid 19th century French cello by Charrotte-Millot, Mirecourt. Certificate of authenticity by Jean-Jacques Rampal
Fine 19th century French cello by Francois Brugere, Mirecourt. Certificate of authenticity by Jean-Jacques Rampal
20th century German cello by Max Otto, Bremen
18th century Parisian ladies’ size cello

French cello bow by Eugene Sartory, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by Jules Fetique, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by Emile Auguste Ouchard, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by Emile Auguste Ouchard, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin

Price range £30,000 to £40,000:

Fine 18th century French cello by Louis Guersan, Paris. Certificate of authenticity by Jean-Jacques Rampal
Fine 19th century French cello by F.H. Caussin, Neufchateau. Certificate of authenticity by Jean-Jacques Rampal
Fine 19th century French cello by Louis Nicolas Vissenaire, Lyons. Certificate of authenticity by Jean-Jacques Rampal

French cello bow by Francois Lupot, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin
French cello bow by F.N.Voirin, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin

Price range £40,000 to £50,000:

Fine Scottish cello by Mathew Hardie, Edinburgh c.1800. Certificate of authenticity by David Rattray
Fine 20th century French cello by Albert Caressa, Paris.
Fine 18th century English cello by Lockey Hill, London. Certificate of authenticity by John Dilworth
Historic French cello bow by Francois Xavier Tourte, certificate of authenticity by J.F.Raffin