Lewis and Company was a firm of

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

builders founded by Thomas Christopher Lewis (1833–1915), one of the leading organ builders of late 19th Century Britain.

Born in London in 1833, the son of Thomas Archdeacon Lewis (1780–1862), a secretary to Charles Blomfield,

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. Although trained as an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, Lewis founded a firm of organ builders with John Tunstall and John Whitacker in about 1860. In 1866, the firm moved into premises in Shepherds Lane (now Ferndale Road),

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

. Under Lewis's direction, the firm built instruments ranging from small chamber organs to major

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and concert organs. Lewis was strongly inspired by the organs built in Germany by

Edmund Schulze Heinrich Edmund Schulze (26 March 1824 - 13 July 1878) was a German organ builder. He was the last of five generations of the Schulze family to build organs, starting with Hans Elias Schulze (1688–1762), Edmund's great-great-grandfather. He die ...

and in France by

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) 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 buildi ...

. He was renowned for instruments that had a bright, vibrant tone. Lewis left the firm before 1900, but it continued to maintain the standards set by its founder. In 1919, there was a merger with Henry Willis & Sons who moved into the Brixton works and traded as Henry Willis and Son and Lewis and Company Ltd until 1925 when the Lewis name was dropped. T. C. Lewis continued to build organs for some time after leaving the firm that he had founded. Pre-1886 Lewis & Co had a well respected foreman, George Henry Adams (1843–1932), working for them, who worked on many of the Lewis organs, called. He had previously worked for around 20 years with J. W. Walker. A man called Thynne was dismissed (most likely) from Lewis's in 1881 and when he and Michell set up their short-lived company they managed to persuade a good number of Lewis staff, including his foreman, George Adams to defect to them. In 1886 George Adams established Adams & Marshall and by 1888 he was head of his own company, Adams & Son, which also worked out of Brixton. One surviving Adams & Son organ can be found in East Farleigh Church, in Kent. The instrument has a preservation order on it.

Notable Lewis organs

Old St. Paul's, Wellington Old St Paul's (formerly St Paul's Pro-Cathedral) is a historic site, a city landmark (tourist attraction) and a wedding and event venue in the heart of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. The building served a dual role as the parish c ...

, New Zealand, 1877 * Ripon Cathedral, 1878 * Newcastle Cathedral, 1880 *

St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Church of England church in Upper Norwood, a suburb of South London, in the United Kingdom. It is a Grade II* listed red brick Gothic Revival church which was built between 1878 and 1887 by the English a ...

, London 1882 * St John's Presbyterian Church, Willis Street, Wellington 1886 * St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia 1891 *

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

, London 1897 *

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. It reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, h ...

, Glasgow 1901 *

Church House (Presbyterian Church in Ireland) The Assembly Buildings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, are the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Although there was a decision taken to move to a new location the General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meetin ...

, Belfast 1906 *

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

, London, "Apse organ" 1910 * All Saints Church, Maidstone, "Main Organ" 1880 *

St George's, Cullercoats St. George's Church, Cullercoats, North Tyneside, England is a church built in the 19th century French Gothic style. Background Looking over the North Sea, beacon-like, it was designed by the church architect John Loughborough Pearson and bui ...

, Tyne and Wear 1885

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis and Co Companies based in the London Borough of Lambeth British companies established in 1860 Manufacturing companies established in 1860 Pipe organ building companies Organ builders of the United Kingdom 1860 establishments in England Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom