William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk.
They were founded in 1916 by the merger of Norman and Beard and William Hill & Sons of London, Dr Arthur George Hill having no male heirs to sustain his business, moving its production to the capital in 1916. [1] The merged company was bought by John Christie in 1923, and remained in the Christie family until the business was wound up in 1998. [2]
Amongst others, the company built the four manual organ in Norwich Cathedral (1899, rebuilds and upgrades in 1940–42, 1950 and 1969), [3] the 5038 pipe instrument in Lichfield Cathedral (1899, rebuilds 1908 and 1974). [4] and the chapel organ of Ellesmere College, Shropshire.
Under Christie's leadership, a subsidiary was founded in Australia in 1927, which continued in business until 1974. During that time the Australian company built 86 new organs and 98 rebuilds, as well as carrying out many other repairs and maintenance work. [5]
During the era of silent films, the company produced theatre pipe organs between 1926 and 1938. [6] These instruments were produced under the brand name Christie, from the name of John Christie, the owner of the business. [7] The components were produced in one the company's various factories (Brighton, Norwich, London etc.) and assembled, together with other specialist items such as percussions and consoles, at their King's Cross factory. [6]
During the late 1920s, up to 40 Christie organs were produced each year. [2] The location of 21 of the UK-installed models is currently known, as of July 2014. [8] 30 Christie Organs (and an additional 3 Christie-based composite organs) are known to have been installed in Australia, including at the Enfield Savoy Theatre. [9]
Among the organs produced was the largest cinema organ built outside the United States, for the Regal Cinema, Marble Arch. [10] [11] This four-manual thirty-unit organ [2] was fitted with 2,514 pipes, [12] a 32-note carillon (the only real organ-operated carillon in the United Kingdom [13] ) and a wide variety of special sound effects to accompany the films, [14] although being only the tenth Christie that they had built. [15]
A Christie organ was also built for the Gaumont Palace, Paris - Europe's biggest cinema, with 6,000 seats - in 1930. [16] After the building closed, the organ was removed and eventually installed at the Pavillon Baltard in Nogent sur Marne. The Organ was classified as a 'historic monument' on 28 March 1977, preventing it from leaving France. [17] In need of restoration, it is being supported by the Association pour la Valorisation et le Rayonnement de l'Orgue de Cinéma (Organization for the Appreciation and the Promotion of the Cinema Organ.) [18]
Bath Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganised in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries; major restoration work was carried out by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s. It is one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country. The medieval abbey church served as a sometime cathedral of a bishop. After long contention between churchmen in Bath and Wells the seat of the Diocese of Bath and Wells was later consolidated at Wells Cathedral. The Benedictine community was dissolved in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
A theatre organ is a distinct type of pipe organ originally developed to provide music and sound effects to accompany silent films during the first 3 decades of the 20th century.
Odeon, stylised as ODEON, is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsidiary of AMC Theatres. It uses the famous name of the Odeon cinema circuit first introduced in Great Britain in 1930.
This article is about the numerous notable pipe organs of the city of Brighton and Hove, from the small early 19th-century organs to the large 20th-century instruments in the large churches.
William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century.
The Odeon Marble Arch was a cinema in London located opposite Marble Arch, at the top of Park Lane, with its main entrance on Edgware Road. It operated in various forms from 1928 to 2016, and is most famous for once housing a vast screen capable of screening films in 70mm. The machines were Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 models.
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.
The Church of St John the Baptist, Maddermarket, is a redundant Anglican church in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
John Stanley Coombe Beard FRIBA, known professionally as J. Stanley Beard, was an English architect known for designing many cinemas in and around London.
Norman and Beard were a pipe organ manufacturer based in Norwich from 1887 to 1916.
Pavillon Baltard is a concert hall located in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. The structure, which was built in the 1850s by French architect Victor Baltard, was originally located in the heart of Paris before being moved to its current location in 1974. It was classified a historic monument in 1982. Notable artists to have performed at the venue include ZZ Top, Bob Marley, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and UFO.
St Stephen's Church, Norwich is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Norwich.
St Clement's Church, Norwich is a Grade I listed redundant parish church in the Church of England in Norwich. It is dedicated to St Clement, a popular Danish saint and patron of seafarers.
St Andrew's Church, Norwich is a Grade I listed medieval building in Norwich.
St Mary's Cathedral in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, presently the Most Rev. Julian Porteous.
The former Granada Cinema, also known as the Ebenezer Building or Cathedral of Christ Faith Tabernacle, in Woolwich, South East London, was built as a large and luxurious cinema in the 1930s. It had a seating capacity of nearly 2500 and is now being used as a church hall. The building with its extravagantly decorated interior is a Grade II* listed building.
St Michael's Church, Holbrook is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Holbrook, Derbyshire.
John Robert Bee was a British theatre organist who held solo positions at the Haymarket Theatre, Norwich, and The New Gaumont, Worcester. He broadcast regularly for the BBC in the 1930s and 1940s and toured extensively playing organ recitals in later life, being known as one of the 'Old Timers' of British theatre organists. His theme tune was ‘The Honeysuckle And The Bee’.
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