Henry Starck was a descendant of a long line of 19th-century German woodwind makers. He emigrated to London in the 1880s where the Queen’s Piper, William Ross, convinced him to begin making pipes for him. Making bagpipes proved lucrative, and several generations of Starcks continued the business into the 1960s, still using Ross’s name on their pipes.

Henry and his son, also Henry, were marvellous makers, and pipemakers today still hold Starck pipes up as icons of craftsmanship. Listeners are often surprised to discover that a full and rich set of Henderson-like pipes they are hearing is in fact a Starck.

This set is blackwood, mounted in full ivory. According to a previous owner who knows the history, they were made in 1923. The pipes are in pristine condition, and the ivory is immaculate. They were likely refinished at some point, but there is no evidence of a crack or repair anywhere. The two tenors don’t appear perfectly identical. They certainly look like the same maker from the same time period. The reedseats were threaded at some point in the recent past.

Each tuning pin is stamped “H. Starck, Late W. Ross, London.” The stamps are visible in some of the photos.

The tone of these pipes is big and buzzy — Starck hallmarks. They are steady. They tune in the right places. They are superb.