William Hill & Son

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William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century.[1]

Hill Organ of Peterborough Cathedral
Console of the Hill Organ at Peterborough Cathedral
Birmingham Town Hall
St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney

The founder

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William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 in St Pancras Parish Church, and worked for Thomas Elliott from 1825. The company was known as Elliott and Hill until Elliott died in 1832.

When William Hill died in 1870, a memorial window was installed in the church at Spilsby, Lincolnshire.

The company

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On Elliot's death in 1832, William Hill inherited the firm. In 1837, he formed a partnership with Frederick Davison, who left in the following year to form a partnership with John Gray, Gray and Davison.

From 1832, William Hill's elder son William joined him in the firm. From 1855, William Hill's younger son Thomas joined the company and took control after his father's death in 1870.

When Thomas died in 1893, the firm continued under his son, Arthur George Hill, until 1916[2] when it was amalgamated with Norman & Beard into a huge organ-building concern as William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Ltd. later shortened to Hill, Norman & Beard.

Examples of the firm's work, in order, include:

References

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  1. ^ The Making of the Victorian Organ. Nicholas Thistlethwaite - 1999
  2. ^ Obituary: Arthur George Hill, The Musical Times, Vol. 64, No. 965 (1 July 1923), p. 507.
  3. ^ "William Hill organ". Kidderminster Town Hall. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Eine Hill-Orgel für Berlin". Institut St. Philipp Neri, Berlin. 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  5. ^ "'Barossa Regional Gallery'". The Barossa Council. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Organ Scholarships". Corpus Christi College Oxford. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ^ "The Hill Organ". St Mary's Church, Tottenham. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016.
  8. ^ Speirs, Kenneth (17 March 2011). "£1000,000 organ fund given a boost". Paisley Daily Express. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011.
  9. ^ "William Hill organ". Friends of St Augustine's. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  10. ^ Jones, Peter (17 August 2005), St Mary & Christ Church, Llanfairfechan, retrieved 18 August 2024
  11. ^ "Hampshire, Gosport, Holy Trinity, Trinity Green, N11540". The National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  12. ^ "The Handel Organ at Holy Trinity Church, Revd John Capper. Gosport Records No.5 (1972) p.22-25" (PDF). Gosport Society. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Cathedral of St. Peter, Paul & Andrew, [D04648]". NPOR. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
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"Promoting organs by Hill & Son".