Abbott and Smith

Organ in All Souls Church, Blackman Lane. The works was nearby on the same road.

Abbott and Smith were a firm of organ builders based in Leeds, England from 1869 to 1964. ^[1]

History

Isaac Abbott established the firm in Leeds in 1869. He had worked for William Hill in London for 20 years. Another Hill employee, William Stanwix Smith, was manager until Isaac Abbott retired in 1889. The firm followed the tonal style of Edmund Schulze.^[2]

From 1889 William Smith and Isaac Abbott’s son continued the firm. Later it passed to Smith’s sons and grandson.

In 1964 the firm was bought by J.H. Horsfall.

List of organs

• St Peter's Church, Parwich 1873
• All Souls, Blackman Lane 1877
• St Michael's Church, Derby 1880 enlarged
• Church of All Souls, Bolton 1881
• Church of St Mary, Eastling 1882
• Holy Trinity Church, Wensley 1885
• St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bolton-by-Bowland 1886
• Holy Trinity Church, Skipton 1888 organ moved
• Blenheim Palace 1888 (now in St Swithun's church, Hither Green)
• Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church, Cambridge 1890^[3]
• St George's Minster, Doncaster 1894 new console and blowing equipment
• St John's Church, Silverdale 1897
• St John and All Saints' Church, Easingwold 1903
• Emmanuel Cathedral, Durban 1912^[4]
• The Kings' School, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. 1934 (NPOR N07106)

References

1. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. 2001. ISBN 9781561592630
2. The Making of the Victorian Organ. Nicholas Thistlethwaite. Cambridge University Press. 1999. ISBN 0521663644. p.391
3. Catholics in Cambridge, Nicholas Rogers, Gracewing Publishing, Cambridge. 2003. ISBN 0852445687 Chapter 27
4. http://emmanuelcathedral.org.za/100th-birthday-of-emmanuel-cathedral/