Howarth of London
The internationally renowned Howarth of London is one of the last hand-made woodwind factories in the United Kingdom. The company formed in 1948 and has a shopfront in London and a factory in Worthing. Situated on the Sussex coast of England, the factory staffs around 30 people. The old brick building is separated into rooms by processes: metalworking, key making, woodworking, and finishing. Each room contains around 5-6 workers and is littered with workbenches that are personalized to the maker and houses tools, personal items, plants, piles of metal shavings or old glue, and even years of faded post-it notes or stacks of old car magazines. Mike who has worked for about 30 years at Howarth explains that when he first started out they would tell the new employees to build their own desks on the first day of work. Some walls are covered in vines, others with old paint and one of the workers brings in his dog every day. Most rooms are pin-drop quiet except for the sounds of the blowtorches, machines, tools clinking together, and occasional conversation between each worker. Each oboe is hand-crafted and passed from room to room, from hand to hand, until it is neatly wrapped up in a case and shipped off or sold in the London storefront. The process of oboe-making is extraordinary and takes finite movements and extreme concentration. After asking why he has stayed at Howarth for so long, Richard who manages the woodworking room explains, at the end of the day it is about the people I work around that makes this job.
Oboes waiting final assembly in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Donald preparing the pillars on the oboe joints in order to mount the keys in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Dave testing a recently serviced oboe before shipping back to the customer in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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On the left, bell blanks are stored and seasoned to make oboe bells. On the right, unprocessed blackwood billets awaiting usage. These are kept in a wood store next to the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Adrian creating keys for the oboes in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Donald testing the straightness of the recently mounted pillars in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Mike has worked at Howarth for over 30 years. Here is his bench covered in clippings, calendars, plants, and other objects in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Richard fitting an oboe joint in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Donald preparing the pillar for spring drilling in the key making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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On the left, Richard in his office drinking his morning tea. On the right, Seb polishes an oboe in the buffing room in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Mike demonstrating the unique properties of shellac resin which is used as an adhesive in the finishing process. He is seen here at his bench in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Andy's workbench covered in swarf (metal shavings) and hand tools in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Jean displaying an oboe he recently completed in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Donald drilling pillars in preparation for the key-mounting processes in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Andy's work area covered in faded post-its in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Yevgeny showing a newly turned bottom joint in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019
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Mike finishing an oboe in the last stage of manufacturing in the finishing department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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James brazing a key for the oboes in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Max troubleshooting machining processes in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Richard displaying a cross-section of a blackwood trunk which is the wood that the oboes are manufactured from in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Neil drilling pillars in preparation for the key-mounting processes in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Richard (Tricky) at his bench in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Terry's workbench at the end of his shift in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Gelert resting near his owner, James in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Dave overseeing operations in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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A wrench covered in swarf (wood shavings) in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Jeremy at his workbench in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Neil drilling pillars in preparation for the key-mounting processes in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Richard in his office drinking his morning tea in the woodworking department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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James at his bench in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Paul papering (using abrasive paper to polish) keys in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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Terry's workbench at the end of his shift in the key-making department of the Howarth Woodwind Factory on 28 October 2019.
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