About the associates of Restalls Violins

Martin Restall

​Martin Restall is a long established and well known violin maker and restorer. He opened the Portsmouth Violin Centre in 1979, later moving to Winchester and then Midhurst. The business is now situated at The Wren Centre, Emsworth (see contact page).
​He now lives and works near Welshpool in Wales where he concentrates mainly on making new violins and violas, although he still visits the Emsworth shop regularly for appointments with customers relating to instruments and repairs.

Martin has maintained and restored customer's instruments as well as making his own since the business opened in 1979. One of his own violas won first prize in a major national violin making competition in 1983.
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Throughout this time he has built valuable relationships with other makers, and incorporated their experience into the business. The service now offered is very comprehensive. The wide range of skills cover violin making, bow making, restoration, general repairs and bow rehairing.

Martin Restall

Ninian Boyle

Ninian is a violin maker and repairer holding a diploma with merit from the Welsh School of Instrument Making, and who has worked closely with Martin Restall for many years. He has worked on and made many fine instruments in his career and enjoys the respect and admiration of both his fellow violin makers and customers alike.
www.ninianboylefineviolins.co.uk

Ninian Boyle

​Stephen Thomson

Stephen studied musical instrument repair at Merton College before starting work at J P Guivier London in 1996. During his employment there he moved from instrument repair to specialising in bow repair. In 2006 he started his own bowmaking and restoration business, working from his studio in south London. Most of his customers are professional musicians but he also enjoys close links with several amateur orchestras nearby. Stephen makes excellent new bows as well as restoring and preserving fine examples from the past.
www.thebowbusiness.com

Stephen Thomson