A proud tradition
The business was founded in 1867 by William White, in Grantham, Lincolnshire as a 'Pianoforte and Harmonium warehouse'. George Sentance joined as a partner in the 1890s, at which point the business expanded steadily, to eventually include two music shops and a pipe organ factory in Grantham, and branches in Melton Mowbray, Sleaford and Peterborough. By the 1920s, with the second generation of the Sentance family now running the firm, White & Sentance was serving musicians throughout a large part of the East Midlands, covering Lincolnshire, Rutland, and parts of Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire.
This situation continued until the 1960s, but then, as family members retired, and with no heirs to pass two of the shops on to, the Peterborough and Melton branches closed. The second of the two Grantham shops followed in the early 1980s, leaving George Sentance's youngest great nephew, Geoffrey, running the remaining business in Sleaford, latterly specialising entirely in piano sales and tuning.
In 1987, 120 years after the firm was founded, Chris Winter became a partner, having trained for many years under Geoffrey Sentance. He took sole charge in 1996, when a move to larger premises in a converted Victorian Baptist Chapel followed, from where the firm now, once again, offers one of the largest and most comprehensive selections of new and restored pianos for many miles.
The original company philosophy of specialisation entirely in pianos, and our commitment to offer knowledgeable, helpful and impartial advice, continues. Many of our customers travel long distances to visit our showroom, where our large range of stock can be compared and played at leisure in a spacious and comfortable environment. Sometimes several visits are made before a purchase is finalised, and we receive grateful comments about our unpressured, relaxed way of doing business.