Harrison & Harrison

Harrison & Harrison
Cmcmcm1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Harrison & Harrison
Industry	Pipe organ building
Founded	1861
Founder	William Harrison
Headquarters	Durham, England
Products	Pipe organs

Harrison & Harrison is a historic English pipe organ builder based in Durham, noted for designing, constructing, restoring, and maintaining large-scale organs for churches, cathedrals, concert halls, chapels, and universities. The firm has been associated with major commissions across the United Kingdom and internationally, contributing to instruments in cathedrals, colleges, and concert venues that have become integral to liturgical, academic, and civic music programs.

History

Founded in the 19th century by William Harrison, the company expanded under successive generations to serve clients including cathedrals and municipal concert halls. Early activity coincided with Victorian-era projects such as restorations after the Great Exhibition period and work influenced by developments in organ building during the eras of Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Villiers Stanford, and contemporary liturgical reform. Throughout the 20th century the firm undertook post-war restorations following damage from events like the Second World War and collaborated with architects and acousticians involved with projects at institutions such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and municipal venues in cities including Birmingham and Liverpool. The company’s later history includes international commissions across Europe, North America, and Australasia, reflecting connections with organizations such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and university chapels at Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

Notable Instruments

Harrison & Harrison instruments serve prominent sites in the United Kingdom and abroad. Examples include major cathedral organs at locations like St Paul’s Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and Gloucester Cathedral, as well as concert instruments for halls associated with ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra and institutions like the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music. University and collegiate commissions include organs for King’s College, Cambridge, St John’s College, Cambridge, and colleges at Oxford University such as Magdalen College. Church projects span parish and collegiate chapels connected to figures and movements including Edward Elgar, Herbert Howells, and the choral traditions of Anglicanism. International work relates to venues in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with links to conservatoires like the Juilliard School and national performance spaces such as the Sydney Opera House (organ-related collaborations) and major cathedrals in North American cities like New York City and Toronto.

Design and Construction

Designs by the firm reflect influences from traditional organ-building schools and innovations associated with firms and individuals such as Arp Schnitger, Cavaillé-Coll, and 20th-century British builders like Henry Willis & Sons and George Frideric Handel-era tonal ideals filtered through revival movements led by makers and consultants including G.D. Cunningham and academics from institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music. Technical work integrates wind systems, voicing, and action types informed by developments in tracker and electro-pneumatic mechanisms used across the 19th and 20th centuries. Collaborations frequently involve architects and acousticians from practices connected to projects at venues like St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Festival Hall, ensuring integration with building design by firms and figures who have worked on listed structures and conservation projects overseen by bodies such as English Heritage and local diocesan authorities.

Restoration and Maintenance

The company’s restoration practice encompasses conservation of historic pipework, reconstruction after wartime or accidental damage, and sympathetic tonal restoration reflecting original builders’ intentions, often working alongside conservation bodies, cathedral chapters, and academic specialists from universities including Durham University and King’s College London. Maintenance contracts extend to ongoing tuning, mechanical overhauls, and upgrades coordinated with organists and directors of music associated with institutions such as Westminster Cathedral, collegiate choirs of Christ Church, Oxford, and choral foundations tied to composers like John Rutter and Herbert Howells. Projects frequently require liaison with ecclesiastical and civic stakeholders including cathedral deans, chapter clerks, and city cultural departments.

Company Structure and Projects

Operated from workshops in Durham, the company combines skilled craftsmanship, voicers, and project managers to deliver bespoke instruments, rebuilds, and maintenance services. Project teams collaborate with external consultants including organists, academic advisors, architects, and engineers for commissions at sites ranging from parish churches to national concert halls. High-profile contracts have involved phased work packages coordinated with fundraisers, patrons, and trusts such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and charitable foundations supporting restoration of historic fabric and musical infrastructure. The firm’s project portfolio spans new-builds, restorations, tonal revisions, and electronic integration for institutions with active music programmes like cathedral music foundations, choral societies, and university music departments.

Influence and Legacy

The firm’s corpus of instruments has influenced British and international organ repertoire, performance practice, and liturgical music through instruments used by organists and composers including members of the Royal College of Organists, cathedral organists, and academic musicians. Its legacy is reflected in preservation debates involving heritage agencies, the musical life of institutions such as King’s College Choir and cathedral choirs, and in pedagogical settings at conservatoires like the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. Through commissions, restorations, and collaborations, the company has contributed to the continuity of pipe organ craftsmanship and the cultural life of venues ranging from parish churches to national concert halls.

Category:Pipe organ builders Category:Companies based in Durham