Sykes & Sons

The Bentley Piano Company officially began production in the 1930s but its history dates back at least a century prior. Bentley was established by Douglas Grover, a third-generation piano builder from the Grover piano makers.

 

In 1911 Douglas moved his young company to a well-known landmark in the Cotswolds, Woodchester Mills. He took with him some highly skilled craftspeople from London and immediately began employing and training local labor. Production increased rapidly and the company was supplying pianos to many dealers across Britain. Douglas was eventually joined by his own son, Richard, and the company grew to become one of the largest piano producers in the country by the time of the 1930s, with an annual output exceeding 3,000 instruments.

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With a rebuilt mill and an additional factory, Bentley was able to undertake several works that are usually outsourced and become self-sufficient in making its own keyboards, actions, hammers, soundboards, and wrest planks for its pianos.

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The Second World War had a profound impact on the British piano industry, with the skilled labor, premises, and raw materials previously used for piano production becoming very valuable to the country's war effort. The Bently piano works were repurposed by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to manufacture aircraft components during the war, notably for the Gloster Meteor.

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 One of the most famous models from Bentley is the 'Bungalow' piano, which was housed in a very distinctive Art Deco case, and is strongly out of fashion now, but the Bentley Piano Company is best known for the postwar production of compact, quality upright pianos at affordable prices.

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While we acknowledge that the Bentley 102 is an entry-level instrument, we are very confident in the build quality and our reconditioning process. We recommend this model as a good choice for pianists who have perhaps just begun their piano journey and desire an acoustic piano that has a responsive touch and escapes the compromises that an electric or digital piano within the same price bracket is restricted to.

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This Bentley 102 is housed in an exquisite satin oak case, which is unusual as most were finished in mahogany. It offers a 7-octave keyboard and a three-quarter-length music desk with a warm tone and balanced touch. The individual that we offer here is an exceptionally well-maintained example. The piano was purchased new in 1980 and has been owned by the same family ever since. 

 

Reconditioned Bentley 102 uprights from Sykes & Sons remain very popular today because of their attractive, convenient size, with a good quality of sound and performance. Like all of our pianos, this Bentley has been reconditioned in our workshop and comes to you completely serviced and prepared with the full backing of the Sykes & Sons Guarantee.​​

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Bentley pianos are now produced in China and while these recent imported additions to the UK market share the same logo as the pianos produced here in Britain, they share no other designs or influence from the original firm. We would like to point out that all of our Bentley instruments are British-made and carefully selected by us before being attentively prepared in our workshop in a process that is sympathetic to the original makers.