Nicholson & Co. Ltd manufactures pipe organs. It was founded in 1841 by John Nicholson. Its work encompasses the creation of new instruments as well as historical restorations, rebuilds and renovations. In 2013, the firm completed the first wholly new instrument in a British cathedral since 1962 at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff [1] [2] .
The Nicholsons were a family of organ builders originating from Rochdale, Lancashire, in the North of England. John Nicholson moved to Worcester in 1840 and soon afterwards he moved his workshop to Palace Yard, close to the cathedral. [3] John Nicholson's work included organs in Malvern Priory, [4] Worcester Shire Hall and Gloucester Shire Hall. In 1861, the firm installed a large instrument in Manchester Cathedral, and in the second half of the nineteenth century, was in demand to supply organs to hundreds of parish churches across England and Scotland. Some instruments were ordered from overseas, with Nicholson organs being shipped to China, Australia and New Zealand. John Nicholson's successor in the business was Arthur Whinfield, who introduced several innovations such as patent key-touches and pneumatic action. By increasing the air pressure, he was able to augment the voicing, and completed projects at the Birmingham Oratory and Leominster Priory. [3]
In 1935, Stanley Lambert took over and patented an electro-pneumatic action. Many of these instruments are still in use without the need for restoration. In 1956 the company relocated to its Quest Hills Road factory in Malvern and later to Lower Interfields near Malvern in a rural location at the foot of the Malvern Hills. Major projects in the last few decades include Portsmouth Cathedral, Southwell Minster, Llandaff Cathedral, Dean Close School, Cheltenham, and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland. [3]
Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter.
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ building that permeated throughout the profession and influenced the course of organ building and organ composing through the early 20th century. The organ reform movement sought to return organ building to a more Baroque style; but since the 1980s, Cavaillé-Coll's designs have come back into fashion. After Cavaillé-Coll's death, Charles Mutin maintained the business into the 20th century. Cavaillé-Coll was the author of many scientific journal articles and books on the organ in which he published the results of his researches and experiments. He was the inventor of several organ stops such as the flûte harmonique. His most famous organs in Paris are in Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Basilique Sainte-Clotilde and Église de la Madeleine.
Great Malvern Priory in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, was a Benedictine monastery c. 1075 – 1540 and is now an Anglican parish church. In 1949 it was designated a Grade I listed building. It is a dominant building in the Great Malvern Conservation area. It has the largest display of 15th-century stained glass in England, as well as carved miserichords from the 15th and 16th century and the largest collection of medieval floor and wall tiles. In 1860 major restoration work was carried out by Sir George Gilbert Scott. It also the venue for concerts and civic services.
Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other countries.
Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the Royal Festival Hall.
Mander Organs was an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the organ building industry, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with the refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis Grand Organ.
Peter Collins was an English pipe organ builder based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He specialised in tracker action organs. Collins was an advocate of computer-aided design, using it to produce compact instruments and to control material costs.
William Drake (1943–2014) was the founder of the firm of William Drake, Organ Builder that manufactures pipe organs in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. He held a Royal Warrant as organ builder to HM Queen Elizabeth.
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in many churches around the UK and in other countries. The firm continues to build organs today.
The Priory Church of St Mary, Abergavenny is a parish church in the centre of Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its liquidation in 2002, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed. The premises are now occupied by Henry Willis & Sons.
Brindley & Foster was a pipe organ builder based in Sheffield who flourished between 1854 and 1939.
John Compton (1876–1957), born in Newton Burgoland, Leicestershire was a pipe organ builder. His business based in Nottingham and London flourished between 1902 and 1965.
Among the places of worship in the town and area of Malvern, Worcestershire are centres of dedication to many faiths and denominations. The town has 31 Christian churches with 11 belonging to the Church of England, ranging from low church to high Anglo-Catholic, two Roman Catholic, one Evangelical, and the others being Non-Conformist and other faiths. Its oldest place of worship is Great Malvern Priory which is all that remains of the former 10th century abbey of which according to the Worcester Monastic Annals, work began in 1085. The chain of Malvern Hills lies in a north-south direction, thus posing a challenge for the architects of Christian churches located on the steep slopes, chancels being traditionally sited at the east end of the building. Many churches were built in the 19th century concomitant with the rapid expansion of the town due to its popularity as a spa. A few modern buildings such as St Mary's Church (1960) in Sherrard's Green, have been constructed in the second half of the 20th century, and some churches, notably St Andrews in Poolbrook, have had important modern extensions added during the first decade of the 21st century.
The South Island Organ Company is a manufacturer of pipe organs in Timaru, New Zealand. The company, in business since 1968, has manufactured and restored over 300 pipe organs throughout New Zealand, Australia and Oceania.
All Saints Church is an active Anglican church in the centre of the town of Evesham, Worcestershire, England. All Saints and its neighbour St Lawrence's Church were built by the Benedictine monks of Evesham Abbey in the 12th century to serve the people of Evesham. All Saints is now the town's parish church, as St Lawrence's was declared redundant in the 1970s.
Norman and Beard were a pipe organ manufacturer based in Norwich from 1887 to 1916.
All Saints Church, Cheltenham, is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Cheltenham.
Abbott and Smith were a firm of organ builders based in Leeds, England from 1869 to 1964.