Born in Fretherne, Gloucestershire, she studied violin with William Henry Reed, then became an exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, where she worked with the Spanish violinist Enrique Fernández Arbós.
In 1933 her translation of Albert Jarosy's A New Theory of Fingering: Paganini and His Secret was published by Allen & Unwin.
[2] Other members of the quartet included Dorothy Everitt (violin), Veronica Gotch (viola) and Helen Just (cello).
Their repertoire included British music by Frederick T. Durrant, Herbert Howells and Charles Wood.
[3] During World War II, Whinyates joined the London Ambulance Service.