The Colt Clavier Collection is a collection of historical keyboard instruments located in Bethersden, Kent, England. Consisting mostly of 18th and 19th-century pianos, it also includes a few harpsichords and a few unusual keyboards which defy standard categorisation. It has been considered one of the most important collections of historically important instruments in the world.
Contents
Location
The Colt Clavier Collection is located in Bethersden, Kent, housed in a community of demonstration houses built by the Colt Family. Most of the instruments are housed in a purpose-built building located next to the corporate business office, but each of demonstration house also features an instrument. A few of the instruments are displayed by museums in Germany and Switzerland.
Scope and importance of collection
The collection consists mainly of pianos (forte-pianos), but also includes harpsichords., and a few clavichords. The Colt Collection contains the largest single accumulation of Broadwood pianos. The oldest specimen dates to 1775, with the most recent instrument dating to the late 19th-century. Consisting in excess of 130 instruments, the collection is one of the largest of its type in England. On many of the instruments display first-edition printings of works by Beethoven, Mozart, or Clementi. In addition to actual instruments, the museum displays numerous images and miscellaneous artefacts related to the history pianos and the manufacture thereof.
History
The collection was started in 1944 by Charles F. Colt, whose family fortune came by way of constructing prefabricated housing. Colt began his collection with the purchase of an 1827 Broadwood square piano, which cost the sum of £6. Colt stored these instruments at the village hall in Bethersden, which was built by the Colt family, and it was in Bethersden that Colt resided. Eventually the collection grew to size that storage necessitated using several Colt buildings within the village. Colt acquired specimens that held visual appeal, as well as historical significance. Many of the instruments are artistically ornate, although some were acquired because of a decided absence of aesthetic sensibility. In the 1940s, many early pianos had been "restored" to sound like modern instruments. Those that remained in original condition were considered "old fashioned" and therefore valued as little more than decoration pieces. These conditions allowed Colt to acquire many of the specimens inexpensively. Piano-maker Derek Adlam was the curator of the collection from 1936 until 1973. A second building built specifically to house specimens was built in the mid-1970s. Although Colt died in 1985, maintenance of the collection has continued under the management of Colt's widow and a board of trustees. Construction was underway in 1994 to create more appropriate space for housing the instruments, as many were difficult to access due to area limitations. Some items from the collection have subsequently been sold, while other pieces are on loan to the Munich Stadtmuseum. The Colt Collection has maintained a policy of tightly controlled viewing and playing access, largely in response to damage caused by the public to the historical instruments found in the Fenton House.
Specimens
Current status
The collection is no longer acquiring new instruments, but the sale of instruments in the collection has also ceased. The collection is currently viewable only by appointment. Concern has been expressed regarding the climate control within the main building, and the proximity of climate-modifying equipment to the instruments, in most cases because of space restrictions.