Piano Shops, Manufacturers of Liverpool
Liverpool: a piano in every parlour; and a piano in every pub.
This year, Kemble & Co., after almost 100 years of trading, and who represented the very last British manufacturer of pianos have finally now closed the lid on an important chapter of British industry.
In Liverpool piano's would have been commonplace in every parlour, and in every pub - and gave a voice to the community that is now belongs to the memory of another time.
Does anyone have any pictures, photos of old piano shops, memories, knowledge of existing buildings that were used as piano factories/workshops, names of companies, perhaps your gt. aunt used to knock out a few tunes on the ole joanna? Any songs or stories???
http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-music023.gif
Daz
Rushworths of Beatles fame?
http://www.rockmine.com/Beatles/Liverpool/Rushwrth.html
Wasn't it at Whitechapel and Church Street?
Just down the road from my stopping point as a kid... the famous "Hobbies"...:)
http://www.rockmine.com/Beatles/Liverpool/Rushwrth.JPG
PS ... wasn't me with the sledge hammer... I was just cheering and drinking beer....:PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dazza
Ah-ha, so that's where they all went? Thanks az_gila, I can picture you now with your sledgehammer? I guess most pianos ended their days as firewood, and scrap metal for the rag-and-bone man?
A bit of local piano history:
"
Rushworth's was founded by William Rushworth [in 1828], a pipe organ builder in Yorkshire. In the late 1800s the company moved to Liverpool. Apparently a piano was sold from the offices, almost by accident, and it was then they decided to sell pianos to the general public. This was the start of the piano retail site. At first pianos were made by Clarence Lyon of London, and not long after Rushworth's began producing classic British pianos alongside their world-famous organ building, which is now in its fifth generation under the leadership of Alastair Rushworth. It has become the largest organ builder in the UK. Around 1921 Rushworth also acquired pianos from Squire & Longsons for ?29.00 and resold them for ?49 guineas"
[Quoted from the 'UK Piano page'
here].
Does anyone where 'Rushworths' [the music store] was in Liverpool?
Thanks,
Daz
[Image: 'Rushworth's exhibition 1949' from MMM: Stewart Bale collection. Archive reference 49913-3]