J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
Encyclopedia
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders
established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival
era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain
, and instruments built by Walker are found in many churches around the UK and internationally. The firm continues to build organs today.
, London in 1828, and moved later to Francis Street off Tottenham Court Road
.
Notable initially for pleasing small church and barrel organs, Walker achieved a breakthrough with the order for a large three-manual instrument at Romsey Abbey
in 1858, including a thirty-two foot Pedal Open Wood, an instrument still (2007) in substantially its original state, a recent renovation confirming its outstanding musical qualities.
Joseph William Walker died in 1870, and his youngest and only surviving son, John James Walker, took over the organ firm.
. The effect was rolling and magnificent. Notable instruments included London instruments at Holy Trinity Sloane Street
and St Margaret's Westminster; cathedrals at York
, Rochester
and Bristol
, and the organs at St Mary's, Portsea and St Matthew's Northampton. Walker also eventually rebuilt the Gray & Davison concert organ at the Crystal Palace
, increasing its power to carry across the vast space of the central transept. The sequence of the church instruments continued into the twentieth century including the large instrument at the Roman Catholic church of The Sacred Heart, Wimbledon
, built in 1912.
After James Walker's death, the reputation of the firm in the "first division" of British organ building lasted through the Second World War before the its star began to set somewhat. By the 1960s, British organ design had become not only eclectic but, to some ears, meekly derivative. The rebuild at Wimborne Minster in 1965 incorporated pipework from earlier periods beginning in 1664; the old material was made to sit with elements in vogue at the time of the Walker rebuild to create an organ whose character could be said to be either of all its history or properly representative of none of it, except perhaps 1965 itself. Later commentators have levelled harsh words at the 1960s "Jack-of-all-trades" British pipe organ without realizing that for the players of the day, such innovations drawn from European practice entirely outside the original scheme and character of the instruments, did at least open new avenues for players just getting used to attempt, for example, baroque performance practice.
Given enough money, the Walker firm could produce impressive, cogent and exciting new work, as at Liverpool's new Catholic cathedral (1967-8) (Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
). The instrument could be seen as a necessarily decisive response to the existing (and outstanding) instrument by Henry Willis III at the neighbouring Anglican cathedral, and recordings by several outstanding European players, including Jeanne Demessieux
and Flor Peeters
, were made there.
Chapel in 1986-7 and several years later at London's St Martin-in-the-Fields
. The visual effect of a number of the new instruments benefited considerably from the superb case-designs of David Graebe. Later organs included a Cavaillé-Coll-inspired instrument, built in 1995 at Exeter College, Oxford
.
In 1999, Andrew Pennells died tragically, drawing his father out of retirement. Today, the business has four distinct parts under the umbrella of "The Walker Group": restoration work operating from premises in the Wiltshire town of Devizes; tuning, supplies to the trade and a small new-organbuilding practice in Brandon, from which diversity a further substantial revival may flow.
In terms of its artistic achievement there have so far been three valuable, yet discretely differing phases in the history of the company:
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, and instruments built by Walker are found in many churches around the UK and internationally. The firm continues to build organs today.
Joseph William Walker
The firm was founded by Joseph William Walker (1802-1870), an apprentice to George Pike England. Walker established his own organ-building business in SohoSoho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London in 1828, and moved later to Francis Street off Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
.
Notable initially for pleasing small church and barrel organs, Walker achieved a breakthrough with the order for a large three-manual instrument at Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the dissolution it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery.-Background:...
in 1858, including a thirty-two foot Pedal Open Wood, an instrument still (2007) in substantially its original state, a recent renovation confirming its outstanding musical qualities.
Joseph William Walker died in 1870, and his youngest and only surviving son, John James Walker, took over the organ firm.
James John Walker
Arguably, the heyday of the company occurred towards the end of the nineteenth century under the leadership of James John Walker (1846–1922), the youngest and only surviving son of Joseph William. The company developed a reputation in the 1890s for excellence in massive diapason voicing using scales and pressures for flue work greater than those used by Hill or WillisWillis
-People:*Bailey Willis, American geological engineer who worked for the United States Geological Survey *Bruce Willis, American actor; played David Addison in Moonlighting and John McClane in the Die Hard films*Chris Willis, American singer...
. The effect was rolling and magnificent. Notable instruments included London instruments at Holy Trinity Sloane Street
Holy Trinity Sloane Street
Holy Trinity Sloane Street is a London Anglican parish church, built 1888-90 at the south-eastern side of Sloane Street to a striking Arts & Crafts design by the architect John Dando Sedding at the cost of the 5th Earl Cadogan, in whose London estate it lay...
and St Margaret's Westminster; cathedrals at York
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
, Rochester
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
and Bristol
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
, and the organs at St Mary's, Portsea and St Matthew's Northampton. Walker also eventually rebuilt the Gray & Davison concert organ at the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
, increasing its power to carry across the vast space of the central transept. The sequence of the church instruments continued into the twentieth century including the large instrument at the Roman Catholic church of The Sacred Heart, Wimbledon
Sacred Heart Church Wimbledon
Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Wimbledon, South West London run by the Jesuits, that serves the Catholic community of Wimbledon and surrounding areas.-General:...
, built in 1912.
After James Walker's death, the reputation of the firm in the "first division" of British organ building lasted through the Second World War before the its star began to set somewhat. By the 1960s, British organ design had become not only eclectic but, to some ears, meekly derivative. The rebuild at Wimborne Minster in 1965 incorporated pipework from earlier periods beginning in 1664; the old material was made to sit with elements in vogue at the time of the Walker rebuild to create an organ whose character could be said to be either of all its history or properly representative of none of it, except perhaps 1965 itself. Later commentators have levelled harsh words at the 1960s "Jack-of-all-trades" British pipe organ without realizing that for the players of the day, such innovations drawn from European practice entirely outside the original scheme and character of the instruments, did at least open new avenues for players just getting used to attempt, for example, baroque performance practice.
Given enough money, the Walker firm could produce impressive, cogent and exciting new work, as at Liverpool's new Catholic cathedral (1967-8) (Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in the city...
). The instrument could be seen as a necessarily decisive response to the existing (and outstanding) instrument by Henry Willis III at the neighbouring Anglican cathedral, and recordings by several outstanding European players, including Jeanne Demessieux
Jeanne Demessieux
Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:...
and Flor Peeters
Flor Peeters
Flor Peeters was a Flemish composer, organist and teacher.-Biography:Born and raised in the village of Tielen , he was the youngest child in a family of eleven...
, were made there.
Robert Pennells and the move to Brandon
Eventually, a recognizable revival came to the Walker firm with its move, in stages, from west London to the small town of Brandon, on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, where the organ building firm and a parts supply business ("P & S") occupied modern workshops. In the 1980s, under the leadership of Robert Pennells, his German (Klais)-trained son Andrew, B. Q. S. F. Buchanan and head voicer Michael Butler, a number of new and prestigious instruments were made, including town hall organs at Bolton in 1985 (after a fire four years before which destroyed a famous 1874 Gray & Davison instrument) and, leading a group of instruments for export, at Adelaide (1989); at Lancing CollegeLancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
Chapel in 1986-7 and several years later at London's St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
. The visual effect of a number of the new instruments benefited considerably from the superb case-designs of David Graebe. Later organs included a Cavaillé-Coll-inspired instrument, built in 1995 at Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
.
In 1999, Andrew Pennells died tragically, drawing his father out of retirement. Today, the business has four distinct parts under the umbrella of "The Walker Group": restoration work operating from premises in the Wiltshire town of Devizes; tuning, supplies to the trade and a small new-organbuilding practice in Brandon, from which diversity a further substantial revival may flow.
In terms of its artistic achievement there have so far been three valuable, yet discretely differing phases in the history of the company:
- Joseph Walker's nineteenth century work
- The "imperial-style" organs of James John Walker
- The Pennells revival
List of works
- Waltham AbbeyWaltham Abbey (abbey)The Abbey Church of Waltham Abbey has been a place of worship since at least 1030, and is in the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. The Prime Meridian passes through its grounds. Harold Godwinson is said to be buried just outside the present abbey...
1850-1953 (see below) - Romsey AbbeyRomsey AbbeyRomsey Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the dissolution it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery.-Background:...
1858 - St Mary's Church, Belstone, Devon 1862 [believed to have been made originally for Knole, Kent)
- St John the Divine, KenningtonSt John the Divine, KenningtonSt John the Divine, Kennington is an Anglican church in London. The parish of Kennington is within the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. The church was designed by the architect George Edmund Street in the Decorated Gothic style, and was built between 1871 and 1874...
1875 - All Saints' Church, MaidenheadAll Saints' Church, MaidenheadAll Saints' Church at Boyne Hill is a Grade 1 listed Church of England parish church in Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-Background:...
1879 - St. Alban's Anglican ChurchSt. Alban's Church, CopenhagenSt. Alban's Church, locally often referred to simply as the English Church, is an Anglican church in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built from 1885 to 1887 for the growing English congregation in the city...
, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
(1887, renovated in 1966) - St James' Church, StrethamSt James' Church, StrethamSt James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the...
Installed at the time of J P St AubynJames Piers St AubynJames Piers St Aubyn , often referred to as J. P. St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.-Early life:...
's restoration, 1886 - St Mary's Portsea, Portsmouth 1889
- Holy Trinity Sloane StreetHoly Trinity Sloane StreetHoly Trinity Sloane Street is a London Anglican parish church, built 1888-90 at the south-eastern side of Sloane Street to a striking Arts & Crafts design by the architect John Dando Sedding at the cost of the 5th Earl Cadogan, in whose London estate it lay...
1890 - St Matthew's Church NorthamptonSt Matthew's Church Northampton-Background:The church has long history of commissioning new works of art and musical compositions. Works of art include the sculpture, Madonna and Child by Henry Moore and the painting Crucifixion by Graham Sutherland...
1895 - St George in the Meadows, NottinghamSt George in the Meadows, NottinghamSt George in the Meadows is a parish church in the Church of England in The Meadows, Nottingham.The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.-History:...
1895 - St Boniface, Portsmouth 1898, (Closed 1962, disposal unknown)
- Church of The Good Shepherd, LakeChurch of The Good Shepherd, LakeThe Church of The Good Shepherd, Lake is a parish church in the Church of England located in Lake, Isle of Wight.-History:The church was built in 1892 by the architect Temple Lushington Moore. Its distinctive feature is the twin aisled nave with the single aisle chancel...
1901 - Bristol CathedralBristol CathedralThe Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
1907 - Christ the King Catholic Church, Gothenburg, Sweden 1907, reinstalled 2010. Originally build for First Church of Christ Scientist, London (today Cadogan Hall)
- St John's Church, WatfordSt John's Church, WatfordThe parish church of St John the Apostle and Evangelist, Sutton Road, Watford lies close to the centre of this busy market town in Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Church of England, within the Diocese of St Albans. Throughout its history has been one of the leading anglo-catholic churches in...
1911 - Sacred Heart, WimbledonSacred Heart Church WimbledonSacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Wimbledon, South West London run by the Jesuits, that serves the Catholic community of Wimbledon and surrounding areas.-General:...
1912 - St Peter's Church, SelseySt Peter's Church, SelseySt Peter's Church is the Parish Church of Selsey, West Sussex and dates from the 13th century. The Church building was originally situated at the location of St Wilfrid's first monastery and cathedral at Church Norton some 2 miles north of the present centre of population.-Building:The church was...
1912 - St. Mary's Church, NottinghamSt. Mary's Church, NottinghamThe Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....
1916 - St Wilfrid's, Portsmouth 1922
- St Clement EastcheapSt Clement EastcheapSt. Clement Eastcheap is a Church of England parish church in Candlewick Ward of the City of London. It is located on Clement's Lane, off King William Street, and close to London Bridge and the River Thames....
, London 1926 - St. Mary's Church, Wollaton ParkSt. Mary's Church, Wollaton ParkSt. Mary's Church, Wollaton Park, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is located in Nottingham.-History:St. Mary's Wollaton Park was designed by the architect Thomas Cecil Howitt and opened in 1939....
, Nottingham 1938 - London OratoryChurch of the Immaculate Heart of MaryThe Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, popularly known as Brompton Oratory, is a Roman Catholic church in South Kensington, London...
, London 1952-54 - St Faith's, Portsmouth 1957?
- Ampleforth Abbey 1961 Ampleforth College
- The Queen's Chapel of the SavoySavoy ChapelThe Savoy Chapel or the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy is a chapel off the Strand, London, dedicated to St John the Baptist. It was originally built in the medieval era off the main church of the Savoy Palace...
1965 - Wimborne MinsterWimborne MinsterWimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...
1965 - Liverpool Metropolitan CathedralLiverpool Metropolitan CathedralThe Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in the city...
1968 - King Edward VI School 1969
- Blackburn CathedralBlackburn CathedralBlackburn Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Blackburn Saint Mary the Virgin, is a cathedral situated in the heart of Blackburn town centre, in Lancashire, England...
1970 - St. Leodegarius Church, BasfordSt. Leodegarius Church, BasfordSt. Leodegarius Church, Old Basford is a parish church in the Church of England.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.-History:...
1977 - St. Bernard Parish, Appleton, WI 1986
- Lancing CollegeLancing CollegeLancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
1987 - St Peter and St Paul, Bromley 1991
- Exeter College, OxfordExeter College, OxfordExeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
1995 - St. Martin-in-the-Fields London 1995
- Peace Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, Minnesota, USA 1997
- St Cuthbert's Church EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
1998 - Ongar United Reform Church, Essex 1886 thought to have been originally built for the Courtauld family
- Hustad Church, Norway 2001
- All Saints' Anglican Cathedral, Nairobi, Kenya