Piano 98

A correspondent sent in the snap above of a piano in Cambridge's painted church, otherwise All Saints' of Jesus Lane. A church I must have passed many times when young, but have never actually been inside. See references 2 and 3.

Google Images fails to nail the make, but I suspect one of the Tier 2 makers, perhaps Broadwood or Erard. Google Search fails too, but I do have a query out.

Given the slightly exotic nature of the locale, the Rules Committee ruled the piano in anyway, despite the present absence of a maker. That is to say, an arts & crafts, gothic revival church from the middle of the nineteenth century - of which we have a good number of good examples in London and in Surrey. St Anne's of London and St. Barnabas of Ranmore come to mind. Of references 4 and 5 respectively. From a time when the church had money to burn on buildings, if not on the slums of London which paid the rent. A gloss on the Church Commissioners which, according to reference 7, is not quite fair, if not that wide of the mark.

A place to visit next time I am in the town.

PS: Friday: another correspondent tells me that it is indeed a Broadwood, probably late 19th or early 20th century. A maker last noticed at Holne, on the edge of Dartmoor, at reference 8.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/12/pianos-96-and-97.html.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Church,_Cambridge.

Reference 3: https://www.thepaintedchurch.co.uk/about.html.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/10/a-new-church.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/09/st-barnabus.html. Spelling a bit wobbly!

Reference 6: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v19/n13/paul-foot/the-market-taketh-away. The market taketh away - Paul Foot, London Review of Books - 1997.

Reference 7: Number One Millbank: The Financial Downfall of the Church of England  - Terry Lovell - 1997. A knocked-down copy is now winging its way to me from Abebooks. Plus a worry that these last are not logging me out when they should be.

Reference 8: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-church-house.html.

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