Dunster Castle Steinway Conservation Project

Upon entering the castle, volunteers encourage visitors to begin their visit in the Drawing Room. Stepping through the doors, visitors are met with the grandeur of the space: walls adorned with paintings, beautiful furniture, the gilded chandelier hanging from the intricately patterned ceiling awash with gold - and the piano offering a quieter elegance in the corner.

Except there is nothing simple about this piano. The piano is a Steinway and has called Dunster castle its home since the 1980s. Rich in craftsmanship, with up to 12000 parts carefully put together, and a constant in many visits over the years, the Steinway is as much a part of Dunster as the Bluthner piano that visitors often hear as they step through the front doors into the Outer Hall. The Steinway piano at Dunster Castle requires extensive conservation work to restore it to a playable condition. Help us to ensure that music can be enjoyed in the Drawing Room at Dunster Castle by everyone, for ever.

The significance of Steinway

Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 and quickly became synonymous with quality. Committed to excellence, each piano was and continues to be handmade, in a process that takes up to a year. Many performers over the years have chosen to exclusively perform on Steinways such as Billy Joel and Ludovico Einaudi.

Why do we need to repair?

The Steinway at Dunster Castle was finished in 1906 and has been well loved, bringing music to many a family home before settling at Dunster Castle. 

Music was a big part of family life at the castle, with Alys Luttrell a big fan of piano music. Alys' son, Walter, recalled that his sister could play every Chopin polonaise off by heart by the time she was 16. His brother, Julian, later shared that Walter often hosted jazz sessions in the conservatory, playing the accordian. The Drawing Room and conservatory were a musical hub, with classical music often filling the family home. 

While it has been enjoyed by many, the piano is no longer in a playable condition and requires the attention of a specialist. This beautiful instrument still has lots of life left and we want to bring the music back to the Drawing Room at Dunster Castle once again.