Iron cello

This instrument was made by Thomas Barker, a local blacksmith of Wimbish. It was played by Robert Munson at public entertainments in the early 20th century. It is a cello made entirely of iron alloy sheet, bent and welded together. The body parts of the cello are secured together by soldered seams with and without pins/nails. It has a wooden soundpost and bridge. There is one gut string, one nylon string, one silver-plated string, and one steel string. The tailpiece has two fine tuners for the D and A strings.