Maker reference
Collard and Collard Pianos
History, relative rating, UK availability and examples handled by Roberts Pianos Oxford.
Guide rating
40-70
Photo Gallery
There are about 1500 collard grand pianos in the UK; most are pre 1900 and usually the action is time-consuming to restore as it tends to be unconventional and prone to being brittle. There are also perhaps 200 baby grands from 4ft 6in to to 5ft 8in made from 1910 to 1940. These are reasonably made.
At a glance
Collard and Collard facts
Make: Collard and Collard
Made in: London, UK
Made by: Collard
Rating: 40-70
Estimated Number In UK: 35,000. 95% uprights, 5% grands
Year and serial number:
1850 51000
1880 115880
1900 160850
1920 187505
1940 196120
1960 198400
Comments
Extremely varied prolific British maker spanning over 200 years. There are some very old Collard & Collard pianos still in use, especially grands. Collard & Collard actions vary a lot. I once went to a lecture by an ex Collard factory worker, who said their action department was a joke. This may be a bit unfair as there are some Collards from 1920 onwards that are very well made. Most Collards have a good rich tone. However we wouldnt recommend restoration of most grands and uprights made before 1920. In 1929 the company was bought by Chappell and then Kemble and the name Collard and Collard appears on some modern Chappell and Kemble pianos and after 2010 on some Far Eastern pianos.
Compare nearby ratings
Higher rated
- Eberhardt (Berlin, Germany) - 40-45
- Kimball (USA) - 30-45
- Brock, Bernard (London, UK) - 45-48