Paxman French Horns

In 1919, Harry, Bertram and William Paxman together started a company supplying brass, woodwind and percussion instruments from an address in Southwark, South London. Over the following 100 years, that company would come to specialise in the supply and manufacture of the horns which are today a mainstay of the global horn playing community.

By 1935 the company had grown and needed more space, so it moved from Southwark to Shaftesbury Avenue where it continued to expand. However, the start of the Second World War meant that there was a shortage of workers and this, combined with the destruction of the roof of the Shaftesbury Avenue premises during the blitz of 1940, meant that the company was forced to temporarily relocate to the Paxman family home in Ealing.

In 1944 Paxman restructured and moved to Gerrard Street. Gradually production increased and in 1948 the first Paxman designed models were built. It was in 1959 that a professional horn player from Australia, Richard Merewether, first approached Bob Paxman with his ideas on design. With over 25 years of playing experience behind him, Dick had a unique insight into hornists’ problems and with his playing career curtailed by illness, he devoted the rest of his life to the design and development of horns. His innovative designs were first introduced in 1959, and over a number of years the whole product range was revised and expanded, to include for the first-time, horns in Bb/f-alto, and triple horns in F/Bb/f-alto.

However, survive it did, remaining in Long Acre until excessive rent demands meant moving once again. In 1995 the company relocated back to its origins in Southwark, with the retail and repair departments setting up in Union Street, whilst manufacturing was located in Staplehurst, Kent.

Around this time, Paxman introduced a number of important changes to their instruments, including the dual-bore system for full double horns and double descant horns along with triple-bore for triple horns. In 1997 titanium rotors were introduced as a lighter option to brass.

In 1993 Robert Paxman was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of fifty years’ service to the Musical Instrument Industry and in 1996, he retired. In July 2011 Bob died after a short illness at the age of 82.