Violin made from Winston Churchill’s cigar box to go up for auction

Since he first entered the public eye with his world-changing politics, Winston Churchill has been synonymous with cigars. He is probably one of the first people who comes to mind for many when they think of famous cigar smokers. Today his cigar-smoking legacy lives on, not only in Davidoff’s Winston Churchill range of cigars, but also via a slightly more unconventional symbol: a violin.

Going up for auction on 25^th October at Ingles & Hayday is a very special violin. Made in 1956 by a self-taught violin maker, William Robinson, the violin in question is made from the famous Prime Minister’s very own cigar humidor, preserving part of the UK’s history in a piece designed to create beautiful music. Robinson had acquired the box from Clarissa Eden, who was the wife of Churchill’s successor, Anthony Eden, as well as Churchill’s niece.

The violin was made with painstaking detail, ensuring that the story of the cigar box as well as the instrument’s beautiful sound shines through. It even features the words ‘Made in Havana – Cuba’ on the back. At auction, this one-of-a-kind piece is expected to fetch between £500 and £1,000.

Before being put up for auction, one of today’s top violin players, Kerenza Peacock, tried out the violin. She said to Classic FM: “It’s challenging to play because this violin is really small, so it was almost like playing a child’s violin. But it actually has a very adult tone and it sounds really lovely and sweet. I enjoyed playing melodies on it because it has a nice tone – and I love that it has such a history. I can’t believe it’s made from a cigar box!”