William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

manufacturer originally based in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

History

They were founded in 1916 by the merger of

Norman and Beard Norman and Beard were a pipe organ manufacturer based in Norwich from 1887 to 1916. History The origins of the company are from a business founded in Diss in 1870 by Ernest William Norman (1851–1927). In 1876 he moved to Norwich where he wen ...

and

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Dr Arthur George Hill having no male heirs to sustain his business, moving its production to the capital in 1916. Retrieved 6 October 2011 The merged company was bought by John Christie in 1923, and remained in the Christie family until the business was wound up in 1998. Amongst others, the company built the four

manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...

organ in

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedral ...

(1899, rebuilds and upgrades in 1940–42, 1950 and 1969), Retrieved 6 October 2011 the 5038 pipe instrument in

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

(1899, rebuilds 1908 and 1974). and the chapel organ of

Ellesmere College (''Striving for one's country'') , established = 1879 , song = ''Jerusalem'' , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding schoolDay School , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label ...

, 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.

Christie theatre organs

During the era of

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s, the company produced theatre pipe organs between 1926 and 1938. These instruments were produced under the brand name ''Christie'', from the name of John Christie, the owner of the business. 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 A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...

and consoles, at their King's Cross factory. During the late 1920s, up to 40 Christie organs were produced each year. The location of 21 of the UK-installed models is currently known, as of July 2014. 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.

Famous instruments

Among the organs produced was the largest cinema organ built outside the United States, for the Regal Cinema, Marble Arch. This four-manual thirty-unit organ was fitted with 2,514 pipes, a 32-note

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

(the only real organ-operated carillon in the United Kingdom) and a wide variety of special sound effects to accompany the films, although being only the tenth Christie that they had built. A Christie organ was also built for the Gaumont Palace,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

- Europe's biggest cinema, with 6,000 seats - in 1930. After the building closed, the organ was removed and eventually installed at the

Pavillon Baltard 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 19 ...

in Nogent sur Marne. The Organ was classified as a 'historic monument' on 28 March 1977, preventing it from leaving France. 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.) Retrieved 27 October 2015

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, William, and Son and Norman and Beard Ltd. Pipe organ building companies Organ builders of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1916 Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom