| Dear Dr. Atomic
Here to attempt a reply to your question about P. W. Bryant. I could expand more on this in a private email if you wish.
P. W. Bryant was born in London in 1902 and died in Ovingdean in 1994. He was a bowmaker for the whole of his working life, and self employed since 1939. He worked first for Withers shop in Leicester Square, London, being taught bow making by (principally) Victor Thomassin and a member of the Husson family. When Withers went out of business in 1932 Bryant moved to Ovingdean and commenced bow making on his own just prior to WW2. He became known for making bass bows very soon after the war because he was the only British bow maker prepared to make them, and they were very well made. They supplied a need for British orchestral players at a time when importing French or German bows was difficult. He made bows for the whole string family and became interested in replica 'period' bows later in his career as a need arose in the music world. He acted as a bow making mentor to Andrew Bellis and Gordon Bailey in the late 1980's. After he died in 1994 his workshop contents were sold at Sotheby's London, 1/11/1994. He was an individual, mildly eccentric, but lovely man. | 
