Alan Beavitt, Born c.1950
Violin Maker in the Scottish Highlands
Alan Beavitt is a leading violin maker, who lives in the isolated but strong community of Scoraig - a peninsular on the west coast of the Scottish highlands. He developed an interest in violin making while still at school. He became an experimental physicist for some years, but then decided to make a career of violin making. He was based in London, but more than 40 years ago he met someone from Scoraig who offered him some land there. He and his wife moved to Scoraig and built a house and workshop there. His accomplishments include winning the Facta Britannia violin maker competititon in 1986. Beavitt describes Scoraig as a wonderful place to live, whose character is enhanced by the fact that it can only be accessed by water or via a long mountain path. Beavit taught violin at the tiny Scoraig school for 28 years; the number of pupils at the school varied between two and seven.