Piano - Made in England. But another British tradition was close to being lost today, as Kemble & Co, one of the last-remaining piano manufacturers in the UK, decided to close its factory and move the plant to Asia. The company cited costs as a reason. In Asia the pianos can be produced more cheaply. But music experts claim that pianos made in Asia have a more bright, tinny sound than the softer European version.

The last British-made Kemble piano was produced this week in the company's Milton Keynes factory.

Yamaha Corporation, which merged with the family business in 1986, will move production of Kemble pianos to its large-scale factories in Indonesia and Japan. The British factory's 96 employees were given notice of redundancy in April. Kemble and Co was founded in north London in 1911.

But there was some good news. An even older manufacturer, John Broadwood & Sons, is still building pianos in this country. The Kent-based workshop was established in the 18th century.