George Maydwell Holdich (14 August 1816 – 30 July 1896) was a British organist and organ builder based in London.

Early life

Holdich was born on 14 August 1816, the third son of the Revd. Thomas Holdich (Vicar of St Mary the Virgin's Church, Maidwell) and his second wife Elizabeth Laura Maydwell. Col Sir

Thomas Holdich Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich (13 February 1843 – 2 November 1929) was an English geographer and president of the Royal Geographical Society. He is best known as Superintendent of Frontier Surveys in British India, arbiter in the Cor ...

, President of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, was his nephew. He was educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils 13–18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. ...

and

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, but left to obtain an apprenticeship to the organ builder

James Chapman Bishop James Chapman Bishop (1783 – 2 December 1854) was a notable British organ manufacturer of the 19th century. History He was apprenticed to Benjamin Flight and then set up his own business in London in 1807 initially at York buildings in Mary ...

Career

Holdich set up his own business at 12

Greek Street Greek Street is a street in Soho, London, leading south from Soho Square to Shaftesbury Avenue. The street is famous for its restaurants and cosmopolitan nature. History It is thought to take its name from a Greek church that was built in ...

, in the same building as

Henry Bevington Henry Bevington (26 July 1777''England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837'' – 8 November 1850)''London, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2003'' was a prolific English organ builder, active in Lon ...

, and is speculated to have built his first organ in 1837. Alfred Hunter was apprenticed to him. During the 1840s and 1850s he mainly built organs for village churches, but later moved on to larger instruments. He moved to 4 Judd Place East (renamed 42 Euston Road in 1858) in 1854 and in 1866 to 24 Park Place West, Liverpool Road. He sold this business to

Eustace Ingram Eustace Ingram (6 August 1839 – 10 December 1924) was a British organ builder based in London.Organa Britannica. Organs in Great Britain 1660 – 1860. James Boeringer. Bucknell University Press. 1989. Early life and work He was born in 1839 ...

. In 1851 he produced an organ which was exhibited at the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

. His greatest achievement was the new organ for

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...

in 1861. The instrument, which had 52 stops, was the first in England to have a full pedal specification of stops as was customary among organs in continental Europe. It was rebuilt in 1874 by William Hill and Sons

Appointments

* Organist of St Peter's Church, Croydon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdich, George 1816 births 1896 deaths British pipe organ builders People educated at Uppingham School