Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated!
I have been to Dennis Havlena's site and it has proved very interesting indeed.
Many years ago my partner made a hurdy gurdy from a broken guitar and it did work - sadly the instrument became lost in the mists of time and the urge for the droning strains of the HG has resurfaced of late hence the post.

'a completely cattle trucked 12-string with an action a foot high, intonation about a semitone off, and a coarse sound'

Why Mr.Bridge that sounds like an HG already!!! :-)
We're in Bedfordshire in answer to your question.

I do know a luthier so will definately have a little shmooze over there to see if he has any terminals knocking about but for the moment the quest continues!
The $20 HG looks interesting - might be an idea to see how that little project goes first as a trial before embarking upon the full bodied one.