Windsor

Windsor


Arthur Octavius Windsor started out making coffin "furniture", but in the 1890's he started making Banjos as well, and this business took over from the coffins.

Windsor produced a great many Banjos and Banjo related instruments of all types, including Banjoleles at their "Castle Works" in Newhall Street, Birmingham, UK. Their most famous and commonly seen brand was The Whirle and they used this name on all of the Banjo models, not just a range of Banjoleles.

Other brand names they used include Honolulu, Popular, Pyxe and Melody Banjo, (though this was also a common term used to describe crossover Banjolins) and there may have been more. On top of their own brands they did OEM too, most famously for JeTeL, but for others too.

Though most famous as a Banjo maker they were also a musical instrument distributor, supplying amongst other things Ukuleles carrying their own name and Juan Gomez (Ukuleles that were made in pre civil war Spain but Windsor owned the brand name).

I have seen a 1928 catalogue for Windsor that includes a Tiple Ukulele, 5 standard and 2 long scale Ukuleles. I'm also not sure if Windsor were making any of them or just rebranding them, the description for the "De Luxe" says it is "Genuine Hawaiian", and the pictured Windsor Long Scale is clearly German made. I have also seen a Honolulu Ukulele but only pictures and I'm not sure if that was English made either but as they are also offering a repair service for Guitars and Ukuleles as well as Banjos, I think they certainly could and probably did make some.

The factory closed in 1940 when it was destroyed by German bombing