The idea for theWindridge Wooden Flute was conceived by Paul Windridge.

Construction & Craftmanship

The Brinklow Pipes are made from hand turned English Box wood.  This keeps the weight of the pipe down unlike, for instance, a black wood clarinet and makes the instrument extremely light and manageable. English Box wood is also an excellent tone wood. As Paul says …

“Because it is rare, and partly because you lose a lot in the manufacturing process, English Box wood is not often used for pipes, but we wanted a great sounding wood that would keep the instrument light like a whistle.”

The keywork has been kept to the bare minimum to keep the pipe as simple as we can. Made from brass, and hand mounted, it keeps with the traditional look and feel of the instrument and complements the Box wood finish. The pipe comes fitted with a standard clarinet mouthpiece, reeds and some cork grease, in a fabric pouch.

Paul Windridge
Paul studied Woodwind Making and Repairing at Newark College in the early 1970s and gained their diploma with distinction.

He then went on to work for Rudall Carte flute makers in London for some years, and then for Boosey and Hawkes when the two companies joined.

After running a small independent workshop in Churchgate, Leicester, Paul became a repairer in the woodwind workshop at Sheehan’s Music Services, and remained there for 15 years from the start of that business in 1984.

Paul now works independently as a Woodwind Instrument Maker and Repairer and his web site can be found at:-
http://www.paulwindridge.co.uk