WHARFEDALEКаталог WHARFEDALE

Britain has long been recognized throughout the world as being the home of loudspeaker technology in terms of innovation and quality.  This reputation has built up over many years by some of the world’s most famous loudspeaker manufacturers.  Wharfedale, established over seventy years ago has always been at the forefront of developing this reputation.

1932 - Gilbert Briggs built his very first loudspeaker in the cellar of his home in Ilkley, Yorkshire.  This sleepy little market town was located in the valley of the river “Wharfe” – an area known to this day as ‘Wharfedale’.  This unlikely location would see the birth of a brand that was to become recognized all over the world, synonymous with quality in high-fidelity reproduction.

Gilbert Briggs is still much admired and respected throughout the world for his pioneering work in hi-fi reproduction and his endless pursuit of better sound quality – driven by his love of live music.

1933 - Gilbert setup a small factory near Bradford to build his new loudspeaker drive units.  Radio was an exciting technology and word of the new transducers had spread quickly around the area.  Demand was growing quickly.  Initially, the true spirit of the cottage industry, his wife, Doris Edna Briggs was the production department, spending many late nights soldering wires and winding coils.

In the same year, he entered the Bradford Radio Society’s annual competition and won first and second place, earning the company their first major order.  From this point, the Wharfedale Wireless Works never looked back, going from strength to strength, producing up to 9000 units per year until the outbreak of World War II.