Kevin, I was wrong about the London College of Furniture (no surprises there then!) it is now part of London Guildhall University and their grandly named Department of Musical Instrument Technology home page is at www.lgu.ac.uk/mit/ OR CLICK HERE (Bet that doesn't work either!)
RtS (I've mentioned on these threads how my granddad's old mandolin imploded when restrung after years of drying out in the attic, saved the world from my learning an instrument!)