George Fincham
| Industry |
Pipe organ design and building. Pipe organ restoration |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1862 |
| Headquarters |
Richmond Melbourne, Australia |
Key people | George Fincham |
| Products | Pipe organs |
George Fincham & Sons was an Australian company that designed and built pipe organs. It was a family run company, founded in 1862 by George Fincham and based in Melbourne, Australia. The company has completed many projects in more than a century of organ building. It closed down in February 2006.
History of the company
George Fincham (born 20 August 1828 at St Pancras, Middlesex, England; died 21 December 1910 in Melbourne) was son and grandson of master Organ builders so it was inevitable that he became interested in Organ building. He was apprenticed in 1842–49 to the London organ builder Henry Bevington, and then worked as a foreman for James Bishop & Son. George Fincham emigrated to Australia in 1852 and established his business in Melbourne, Victoria in 1862.[1] In 1881 he established an Adelaide branch, managed by Arthur Hobday, his ex-apprentice, until sold in 1894. In 1904 he opened a branch in Sydney, and he had agents in Perth (1897) and Brisbane (1902). Altogether he built about 200 organs for cathedrals and churches and supplied pipe work and parts to organ builders throughout Australasia. His integrity and the quality of the organs he built overcame the prejudice towards colonial work. He was outstanding among Australian organ builders for his skill, his business ability and his readiness to keep pace with modern trends. He patented many improvements; most of the organs he built had mechanical action and from 1886 some had tubular-pneumatic.
Notable organs
His notable instruments include:
- Intercolonial Exhibition of Australasia (built by Fincham in 1866).[2]
- Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne (built by Fincham in 1880) - considered his "magnum opus".[2]
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Frankston (built by Fincham's son Leslie Fincham in 1927, and refurbished by his grandson George B. Fincham in 1977).[3]
- St Kilda Town Hall (built by Fincham in 1892) - destroyed by fire on 7 April 1991.[4]
- St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne (built by Fincham between 1898–1900) - "Australia's largest 19th-century instrument still intact".
- Malvern Presbyterian Church, Melbourne (built by Fincham in 1906) - still in good working order.
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne (built by Fincham's grandson George B. Fincham in 1962).[2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Peter McBride Antique and Old Tools". www.petermcbride.com. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- 1 2 3 "George Fincham". www.finchams.org. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ↑ Carpenter, Peter G. (1989). Parish of St. Francis Xavier, Frankston, 1889-1989: Centenary. Frankston: St. Francis Xavier's Centenary Booklet Committee. Retrieved 11 September 2015
- ↑ "Major Australian Organ Destroyed by Fire". www.ohta.org.au. Retrieved 2009-11-13.