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Bow Brand harp string makers Kings Lynn

Workers at Bow Brand manufacturing harp strings in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The factory is the only producer of musical strings in the UK and were commissioned to supply 47 lengths of 'cow gut' so Royal harpists can serenade Prince William and Kate Middleton when they are received into Westminster Abbey on the 29th April 2011.The 'natural gut' string, which is made from the 120 foot long intestinal tract of a cow takes six weeks to manufacture. After coming in direct from the slaughterhouse it's soaked, stretched, dried and varnished before being packaged and sent off and sent to musicians around the world who prefer traditional cow gut string compared to it's modern synthetic counterpart. Bow Brand has been making strings since 1902 employs only 24 people but still produce more strings than any other company in the world.

  1. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers processing cow gut for transformation into strings for musical instruments, 2011.

  2. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers preparing the cow gut.

  3. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers preparing the cow gut.

  4. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers in the drying room stretching the cow gut.

  5. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers in the drying room stretching the cow gut.

  6. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers in the drying room stretching the cow gut.

  7. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers in the drying room stretching the cow gut.

  8. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers laquering the new strings.

  9. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers laquering the new strings.

  10. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand workers laquering the new strings.

  11. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand strings being fitted to a harp.

  12. ©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.

    Bow Brand springs being packaged for sale.

©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.