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The name of Nicholson has been associated with organ building since the original company was founded by John Nicholson in 1841.
The Nicholsons were a family of organ builders who originated from Rochdale in the north of England and John Nicholson moved to Worcester in 1840, obtaining permission from the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral to establish his workshop in the Palace Yard.
John Nicholson's reputation and order book grew and his work included organs in Malvern Priory and Worcester Shire Hall. The policy of quality rather than quantity, established by John Nicholson, is still the hallmark of the company.
However, the Nicholson company of today is also at the forefront of using the most recent innovations in the field of organ engineering and construction, to accommodate the present day environment. With modern heating systems making far greater demands on the basic fabric of the instrument than even only a couple of decades ago, it has been the task of organ builders to overcome the associated problems.
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Whilst there is an increasing pressure to design organs which can do justice to the many schools of music throughout the world, Nicholson endeavour to retain the Englishness of their organs whilst also incorporating the best features of other traditions.
They are proud to have a dedicated and highly skilled workforce whose disciplines cover every conceivable aspect of the trade, and the company is one of the few retaining its own metal shop for the manufacture of pipes.
Recent new Nicholson organs have generally reflected the trend in England toward the favouring of mechanical key action. Now this has been taken one step further and Nicholson have built organs with large specifications whilst retaining the advantages of direct mechanical touch.
Excellent examples of this are to be found in the large organs in Portsmouth Cathedral, Southwell Minster and Christchurch Priory.
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