William Walton

History

William WALTON (1860-1938) was born at Longton on August 7, 1860, the eldest of ten children to Henry and Jane Walton. He received his education at the national school in his native village. In 1871, he began working in a cotton-mill, where he remained until the age of twenty. He joined the railway service in 1880, steadily advancing through various grades until his appointment as stationmaster of Howick in 1889, a rapidly developing district. On October 18, 1884, he married Alice, daughter of Lawrence Hunt of Hoole, at Saul Street Chapel, Preston, and they had three children: Jane, John, and Alice Hunt. Walton commenced violin-making as an amateur in 1887, producing one or two instruments annually and undertaking numerous repairs. His interest in the varnish question began in 1893, leading to extensive experimentation. With the assistance of a friendly chemist, he successfully developed an amber oil varnish. He established himself professionally in 1922 and died in 1938 in Longton, Preston, UK.

Craft

• Models: He worked on the Joseph lines, referencing drawings published by Mr. Honeyman, and on Strad lines, following the outlines of Riechers. He also developed an original outline and model. His personal model was derived from Stradivari and Guarneri.
• Materials: He utilized beautiful wood with excellent properties, notably employing Oregon pine for the belly in one instance, with results comparable to more traditional materials.
• Varnish: With the help of a chemist, he produced an amber oil varnish of excellent pate and lustre. This splendid solution was elastic, tough, beautifully transparent, and consisted of pure amber in solution in oil, with the color developed, not added, during the process.
• Workmanship: His workmanship was magnificent, characterized by a breadth of conception coupled with tenderness of expression. The scroll was thrown with vigor, and the mind was free from suggestions of effort in following the graceful lines of the volute. The same easy flow was observed in the upper and lower turns of the sound-holes. The curve of the model along the longitudinal axes (back and belly) evoked the gentle, natural arch of a vibrating cord. The purfling was wide and bold, the margins slightly narrow, and the edges round and strong. The corners of his Strad copies, unlike Riechers' characteristics, were a shade longer and cut cleanly and square. The button was full, though perhaps a tiny bit too long in proportion to its width.
• Tone: The tone of instruments submitted for inspection was described as having fullness, equality, sympathy, and carrying power.
• Bows: His bows were not branded or marked in any distinctive way.

Influence

• Training: He was a self-taught violin and bow maker.
• Models: He drew inspiration from Joseph lines, using drawings by Mr. Honeyman, and Strad lines, following outlines by Riechers.

Further Information

• Residence/Workshop: He lived at Howick Station, Longton, near Preston.
• Labels: Instruments were labeled "William Walton / maker / Longton, Preston / A.Died 1928 No.."

Summary

William WALTON (1860-1938) was an English self-taught violin and bow maker from Longton, Preston, UK. Initially working in a cotton-mill and then as a stationmaster, he began making violins as an amateur in 1887, establishing himself professionally in 1922. He was known for his magnificent workmanship, working on Joseph and Strad lines, as well as an original model derived from Stradivari and Guarneri. Walton developed a distinctive, transparent amber oil varnish and produced instruments praised for their full and sympathetic tone.