Martin Swan Violins is a specialist dealership in fine string instruments and a global leader in the sale of antique French bows. We have a wide and diverse international clientele in the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia, ranging from keen amateur traditional players to the concertmasters of prestigious orchestras. You can look at notable sales here.
This website is our shop window. We also welcome customers by appointment to our home in Somerset, UK, and we make regular trips to meet clients in London, Paris, Brussels, Cologne, Munich and Vienna. We have a second home in Italy and usually combine business with pleasure when we are there – Genoa, Milan, Cremona and Florence are all easily accessible from our mountain hideaway.
We offer instruments and bows with great playing qualities, focusing on items in excellent or ‘as new’ condition. These are sold with independent certificates from respected appraisers. We don’t cut corners and we don’t make exaggerated claims. We used to collect customer reviews but nowadays we are happy to let our reputation rest on word of mouth. Buying from us is risk-free; you will have no doubt about the condition or the authenticity of an item you purchase from us.
If you take an instrument or bow on trial from us you may have it for 14 days. We will ask you to sign an agreement which specifies this, along with other terms and conditions. View or print the ‘On Trial’ Agreement by clicking here. We will also ask you to provide proof of your address, and a copy of your passport or other photographic ID. This is both to protect ourselves and for due diligence with regard to money laundering regulations.
If you are considering buying something from us but don’t yet have the full funds to purchase it, or if you want to trade something in as part payment, please contact us to discuss your position before asking to have something on trial. We can sometimes take an instrument or bow as part-exchange for a purchase, but usually for a maximum of 50% of the value of what you are buying. Many items on the website are being sold on consignment (ie we don’t own the items, but are selling them on behalf of their owners) and this can complicate part-exchange requests.
We have long-standing relationships with many of our clients, and at busy times we will prioritise them. If you haven’t bought anything from us in the past and are interested in making a purchase we would prefer to meet you in person. This allows us to discuss your requirements in the context of trying out a selection of instruments or bows in your price range. If it is impractical to meet, we can sometimes send items by courier, depending on the value and the destination. We generally ask new clients for a deposit to cover courier and insurance costs: for shipping within the UK, we ask £100; internationally it is £200. The deposit will be refunded if you buy from us.
We are Martin Swan and Anna Ashmole.
Company Information
Martin Swan Violins is the trading name of Ashmole & Swan Ltd, company No. SC479345.
We are registered for VAT and use the VAT margin schemes for antiques and for artisan products. Any VAT element is included in the sale prices we quote and in most cases the VAT cannot be reclaimed. Our VAT number is GB 119 2104 48.
Ashmole & Swan Ltd has a Belgian subsidiary and many of our bows are located in the EU to facilitate our compliance with CITES regulations on pernambuco; see our page about restricted materials.
Photographs, Copyright and AI
Our website, and all the photos on it, are copyright. Click here to read our Terms of Service with regard to photographs, copyright and the training of AI models.
Location
Martin started trading in violins in 2006 when we were living in the Scottish Borders. In 2016 we bought Avenue House, in the centre of Wells, Somerset, as a home for both ourselves and the business. In recent years Wells has become an increasingly busy tourist destination and in July 2026 we moved to a more rural base in Somerset.
Avenue House