Thanks for your interest. I did a Google search on the address a while back and the only interesting thing I found was a connection to accordions and Charles Wheatstone (of the Wheatstone bridge fame). Wheatstone was somehow related to Mr. Ward and I think they are buried in the same plot. I did another search this morning and found a wonderful ad Ward placed in a newspaper to warn about stealing his timpani tuning patent. It reminded me of working for Jimmy Corder and his early patent on clear drum shells. I had the good fortune to visit Potter's music store in Aldershot England many years ago and they were working on the silver timpani in the basement workshop. I should have checked out the mechanism when I had the chance! I first heard of Ward and Potters from the wonderful "Percussion Instruments and their History" book by James Blades. We will put some nice white drag ropes on the drum and sling it up and play it for the Queen's birthday or some such appropriate occasion.

You can't patent a boat or a chimney, Why did this guy think he could patent a tension method ? If mine doesn't have his specs, I'm good to go.