Forster and Andrews

Forster and Andrews was a British organ-building company based in Hull, England. It was established in 1843 by James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews, two craftsmen who had previously worked for the London organ builder J. C. Bishop. The firm became one of the most successful organ manufacturers in the North of England and supplied instruments for churches and other ecclesiastical settings during the Victorian period. The company operated from Hull while also maintaining branches in London and York, giving it a wider commercial and service presence than a strictly local workshop. Its work belonged to the nineteenth-century British tradition of designing, building, installing, and maintaining pipe organs for churches and related institutions. The surviving historical record identifies the firm with organs made in a range of sizes, including barrel, chamber, and small church organs, as well as larger instruments commissioned for prominent places of worship. Forster and Andrews had an important professional connection with the German organ builder Edmund Schulze. Schulze sometimes recommended the English firm to prospective clients when he could not accept commissions himself. The relationship also influenced the technical development of Forster and Andrews. In the most notable documented example, the large organ completed in 1868 for All Souls' Church in Halifax incorporated material associated with Schulze. The partners made a lengthy visit to Germany to study his methods, with the trip funded by Sir Edward Akroyd, who supported the Halifax commission and insisted on the project. The company remained active for more than eight decades. In 1924 it was taken over by John Christie, after which the original business continued for a period before finally being wound up in 1956. Because it is defunct, Forster and Andrews no longer operates as a commercial brand. Its historical importance rests on the instruments it produced, its role in the development of northern English organ building, and its connections with both British and German nineteenth-century organ-making practice.

Forster and Andrews was founded in Hull in 1843 by James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews. Both founders had earlier worked for J. C. Bishop, a London organ builder, before establishing their own enterprise. Their experience in the London trade provided a technical and professional foundation for the new firm, which developed during a period when churches and other institutions were commissioning substantial numbers of pipe organs. The business became one of the most successful organ-building companies in the North of England. Its principal base was in Hull, but it also maintained branches in London and York. These additional locations indicate that the firm served clients beyond its immediate home region and required a broader network for sales, installation, and servicing. Its output included barrel, chamber, and small church organs, alongside larger ecclesiastical instruments. A significant influence on the firm was Edmund Schulze, the German organ builder. Schulze reportedly recommended Forster and Andrews to potential customers when he was unable to undertake commissions himself. This connection went beyond referrals. For a major commission at All Souls' Church in Halifax, the partners travelled to Germany for an extended period to study Schulze's techniques. The journey was financed by Sir Edward Akroyd, the patron who supported the Halifax project and insisted on the visit. The resulting instrument, completed in 1868, incorporated material by Schulze and is the clearest documented example of the interaction between the firm and its German influence. The Halifax organ illustrates the firm's position within a wider exchange of organ-building knowledge during the nineteenth century. Although Forster and Andrews was an English company, its work could draw on continental methods and components, while its own production addressed the requirements of British churches. The firm's history therefore combines local manufacturing in Hull, regional prominence in northern England, and international technical connections. Forster and Andrews continued operating into the twentieth century. In 1924 the business was taken over by John Christie. The company was not finally wound up until 1956, so its corporate life extended beyond the takeover by more than three decades. After the winding-up, Forster and Andrews ceased to exist as an operating organ-building company. Its legacy survives primarily through historical records and the organs attributed to or associated with the firm, including the 1868 Halifax instrument.

1. 1956Final winding-up

   The Forster and Andrews business was finally wound up, ending its corporate existence.

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2. 1924Takeover by John Christie

   John Christie took over the company after it had operated for more than eighty years.

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3. 1868Completion of the All Souls' Church organ in Halifax

   The firm completed a large organ for All Souls' Church, Halifax. The project incorporated material by Edmund Schulze and followed the founders' study visit to Germany, funded by Sir Edward Akroyd.

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4. 1843Company founded in Hull

   James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews established the organ-building business in Hull after working for J. C. Bishop in London.

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A nineteenth-century British organ builder serving churches and other institutional clients, with a reputation as one of the leading organ-building firms in northern England and a documented interest in German organ-building techniques.

• Pipe organsOrgan instruments

  Pipe organs formed the core of Forster and Andrews's business. The company designed and built instruments for churches and other institutional settings, working within the nineteenth-century British organ-building tradition. Its output ranged from relatively small installations to substantial ecclesiastical instruments, and its work could incorporate techniques or components associated with continental builders.

• Barrel, chamber, and small church organsOrgan instruments

  Historical references identify barrel organs, chamber organs, and small church organs among the firm's product types. These categories show that Forster and Andrews did not focus exclusively on large church commissions; it also produced more compact instruments for smaller spaces and different institutional requirements.

• All Souls' Church organ, HalifaxLarge church organ1868

  Completed in 1868, this large instrument is the most prominently documented Forster and Andrews commission. Sir Edward Akroyd funded the project and required the firm's partners to study Edmund Schulze's methods in Germany. The finished organ included material by Schulze and represents the firm's strongest documented connection with German organ-building practice.

1. Forster and Andrews