This is an overview of the current  revival of English bagpipes that  I wrote for a programme in The Edinburgh Festival in the early 2000's

The only region in England that has retained an unbroken bagpipe tradition is in the north east, where the Northumbrian smallpipes still thrive. However throughout England from the 13th century it is clear a wide variety of other types of pipes had been played. In the mid 19th century the piper John Hunsley of Manton in Lincolnshire died and so the last of the older English bagpipes fell silent. There are many early written references and depictions, but no actual instruments have survived.

Bagpipes began to fall out of favour in the south of England from the 16th century onwards and were increasingly considered to be an instrument of the north. During the 19th century Highland pipes were adopted by the British Army and bagpipes came to be regarded as a Scottish instrument- few people in England were even aware that bagpipes had ever been part of their heritage.

The spark that rekindled interest in the English bagpipe came over a century after John Hunsley's death. While researching in the early 1960s Roderick Cannon found many historical references to the bagpipes being played in England and published two articles in The English Folk Music Journal in the early 1970's.

To revive an extinct instrument requires interest, enthusiasm, music, but above all it requires the instrument itself! The catalyst and focus for the revival was undoubtedly the band Blowzabella, formed by Bill O'Toole and Jon Swayne. They were both studying early instrument making at The London College of Furniture in the late 1970s and were experimenting with making bagpipes. Jon developed his low D Flemish pipe after the paintings of Breugel and his 'English' Bagpipe in G- a mouth- blown pipe with two drones and his own design of chanter. At last there were reliable bagpipes to play English music on! Since then Jon has gone on to developed a range of highly sophisticated bagpipes based on the Border bagpipe. Their chanters are chromatic, with an extended range.

Blowzabella's sound was new and exciting and based firmly around the pipes and hurdy gurdy, taking much of their inspiration from the dance music of central France and adapting it to English music. Traditional English tunes once again were played with a drone accompaniment. They organised pipe and hurdy gurdy weekends in the 1980s which were joyous gatherings and the first chances for isolated pipers and other pipe makers, to meet, compare pipes and play together.

It was a very exciting time for me as I had begun to experiment with pipemaking in 1981 and became a professional maker in 1985. Since then I have developed a variety of different pipes. My first, developed with my brother John, was The Leicestershire smallpipe- a single drone instrument that can be mouth or bellows blown. The English Great pipe is based on a 15th century manuscript illustration of the Miller from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I based my Cornish double- chanter bagpipes on a fine carving in the church at Alternun, Bodmin Moor dated c1510- 1532. This is typical of many early carvings of double- chantered pipes to be seen in churches throughout England. My English double pipes are based on actual measurements in the Talbot manuscripts from the 1690s.

English pipers have been looking to European piping traditions for inspiration. A focus for the revival has been the English based Bagpipe Society formed in 1985 for those with an interest in all types of bagpipes. Many of its members play English bagpipes. Some are playing the alluring dance music of central France, which has an unbroken tradition and lends itself perfectly to the pipes. Others are facing the challenge of trying to explore ways of playing English music. So much has been lost and needs to be rediscovered or reinvented. Although our piping tradition is broken there has long been a strong tradition of sophisticated instrumental variations in England. With the discovery and publication of the William Dixon manuscript of 1733 we now have proof that bagpipes were part of this tradition.

Today there are a variety of different English pipes available in a range of keys. There are pipers who play these solo or in groups with or without other pipers for early music, dance bands, morris dancing . even the outer reaches of techno music. But what is English pipe music? After a gap of 200 years without any musical development some pipers are looking to the past whilst others are trying to create new English music for the pipes.

Two English bagpipe trios use strickingly different musical approaches. The Goodacre Brothers were formed in 1986 to play traditional and our own dance music, using use various combinations of both small and great pipes. The history of the trios instrumentation reflects the increasing variety of pipes that I have developed and our musical arrangements are essentially polyphonic. Jon Swayne's trio Moebius play his compositions. His arrangements use sumptuous and sometimes extraordinary harmonies making the whole group sound like one instrument. He has gone on to expand this approach even further into Zephrus a six piece bagpipe group- who perform a stunning suite of Jons arrangements of the 17th century tune Halfe Hannikin. And after all these years Jon is still playing with Blowzabella and in 2003 they reformed to celebrate their 25th year and have decided to play and record again.

The bagpipes are essentially a pastoral instrument which fell out of favour during the centuries of industrialisation and urbanisation. But from the late 20th century we have post industrial aspirations. The pastoral is once again desirable.

The English bagpipe revival is now well under way. For it to flourish we must encourage the younger generation to play. I confidently expect this revival will not go the way I predict and I look foreword with anticipation to the next 30 years!