Ward & Winterbourne started when the Boosey & Hawkes factory in Edgware closed at the end of the 1970’s. Tony Ward and Derek Winterbourne (employees of Boosey and Hawkes) bought the oboe making tools and materials from B&H and set up their own production in a workshop in Hendon, London. The oboes they made were all based on the acoustics of the Boosey and Hawkes ‘Imperial’ oboe (which in the 40’s and 50’s was considered by some, as the finest, professional, British made oboe).
The popularity of Ward & Winterbourne oboes grew during the 80’s and 90’s due to their quality and reliability, as the oboe world evolved they introduced ‘covered-plate’ versions of their most popular ‘open-hole’ oboes, namely the TW1 and the TW3 and signified this by adding the ‘a’ to the model number.
Ward and Winterbourne oboes are extremely well made and will withstand the abuse often given to them by inexperienced players, and as such are an ideal entry level instrument. They are wooden bodied and so can more readily reflect the players talent as progression occurs.
This TW1a is in excellent playing order and will easily take a player to grade 5 or 6.