random find, no clue what im looking at

[cmulcahy]

A week ago on our way home from vacation my girlfriend saw a piano on the side of the road. She asked me to Stop and went and asked the home owner what was going on with it. He informed us he was throwing it away because a tuner said it couldn't be tuned. Neither of us play but she is a interior designer and I'm a carpenter. Her eyes lite up and she asked if I could make it pretty. Working with wood is no problem. However now I have this heavy thing in my garage and I have started tearing it down to begin the make pretty process. This thing is in bad shape but won't be hard to get what she wants done. However, I'm looking at the action and see pencil writing in a few places. I assume from tuning. The are all dated to the early 1900's starting from 1904. I know sometimes people will do stuff like this just to make you think its old. So I started looking up the manuf. I cannot find much about the company and what there is has been confusing. Maybe someone on here can help. I'm just interested in the history of this thing to give me a idea of what I have. Stamped in to the castiorn it says British Pianoforte Manuf. Company Limited London. Other than that there are no markings I can find. Where do I look for serial numbers and things like this? Can anyone fill me in on some history about this company? Also, the keys are wood and some had some white coverings still on there. She wants to sand and stain the wood, are the white coverings something that would have come from the manufacture?

[Colin Nicholson]

We cant guess the manufacturers name without a name.
Send some photos of this piano - though as we have said loads of times, many pianos dont have history/ nothing on serial numbers/ no dates - so found at the side of the road!! ?? .... probably wrest plank gone. I heard a story like this in Liverpool last year. The "lady of the house" (lived near Sefton Park) was an artist (displayed her photos in the old police station on Lark Lane) - and her beloved brought back a piano left at the side of the road...... its not you is it???? They also had another piano in their garage/shed - a spring & loop. Both pianos were worthless, had no history - other than an old piano of the early 1900's.

However, send a photo please - would be good to see, and remove the front board.

[cmulcahy]

Haha, no its not me. I am in Texas, U.S.A. there was no front board. Only the name on the cast iron where the wires are attached. Thanks for any help. I will get some pictures of it as soon as I can.

[cmulcahy]

Is British Pianoforte Manuf. Company not the manufacture? That is what it says on the cast iron. I am in Texas U.S.A. thanks for any help.

[Gill the Piano]

The pencil marks will either be tuning dates or perhaps factory marks. Nobody would bother faking these marks - not here anyway - as an old piano is just an old piano here! Bill Kibby on the Piano History Thread will tell you when the British Piano Manufactory was working, so will give you a time frame.