Within hours of Piping Press reporting rumours of a sale of RT Shepherd & Co., the company handling the insolvency has confirmed that the firm will be taken over by Broadleys Bagpipes & Reeds.
Fife-based Broadleys have a growing reputation within the pipe band world with many top bands already playing their instruments and reeds. Proprietor Ross Watson is a former employee of Shepherds.
The Interim Liquidator Steven Wright was appointed on March 21. He said: ‘Despite its strong reputation and branding in the bagpipe world, the company [RT Shepherd] faced several challenges over the past few years which unfortunately led to the directors taking the tough decision to file for a winding up petition.
‘Our initial priority was to assist all employees with their claims and deal with a large number of stakeholders from across the world.
‘I am pleased to say that we have now managed to secure a sale of the company assets to a former employee, Ross Watson trading as Broadleys Bagpipes & Reeds. Ross has a unique understanding of the business and is well placed to be able to take on the RT Shepherd brand.
‘Anyone wishing to purchase anything previously associated with the company should now contact Ross directly.’
There was certainly a great deal of interest from the bagpipe making industry worldwide once the Shepherd demise was announced. The pictures below show the somewhat ‘abandoned’ but yet close to functioning state of the business:
RT Shepherd & Son, founded in the 1970s, is based at 164 Jamphlars Road, Cardenden, Fife. It is renowned for manufacturing high-quality bagpipes, chanters and reeds. Their products were widely used by both pipe bands and soloists, contributing significantly to the global piping community.
The insolvency of the firm was attributed to various factors, primarily revolving around cash flow challenges. Despite efforts to secure further funding, the company found itself unable to meet its financial obligations.
P/M Bob Shepherd started the company following his Worlds-winning spell with Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band. Bob died in 2019.
The company’s chanters and reeds were played worldwide and it was responsible for some outstanding innovations in the sound and construction of the bagpipe.
RT Shepherd was first with the Canmore bag, plastic drone reeds, Bb chanters and many other developments in the instrument.
‘Highland Bagpipe Music’ by Donald Morrison – digital download
This book was first produced shortly before Donald died in 1988. Languishing out of print, it surfaced in 2021 following contact between Piping Press editor Robert Wallace and Donald’s daughter Sheona. Sheona agreed that it should be offered to the piping public once more at nominal cost, the aim being to preserve her father’s musical legacy. Donald Morrison was the complete piper a fine teache…
It is a great pity that such businesses fail and go into liquidation. Undoubtedly it was extremely successful making it more surprising that this has happened. Of course previous employees have started their own businesses and that may have had an effect. I was only once in the premises and it was the late Walter Drysdale who was friendly with Mr Shepherd that arranged my visit which I found impressive. Reed making was my main interest, although was interested in the lathe work as I had such experience in my earlier working life, but it did not involve wood turning. However it is a great shame that such a successful business fails. The photos of the stock left in the shop is of interest and none more so than the boxes of pipe chanter reeds. I don’t think I have ever seen such a collection of reeds stored like that in my life. There must be hundreds of them. I have heard of pipe chanter reeds being stored in buckets, but chose to almost disbelieve that pipe chanter reeds could be treated like that that as they are quite delicate, particularly at the reed tips. I dabbled with reed making and if I made 100 in a week and then tried my best to test them before sending them out and, I found that it was a challenge. There were reeds that I would not send out and all that might have been able for recycling were the staples. Sometimes re-tying was successful. Those photographs will be of great interest to prospective buyers of the business and of course past customers.