Reading Town Hall Organ, built by Willis in 1864, extended in 1882 and rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1999

Henry Willis & Sons is a firm of pipe organ builders in the UK, examples of whose work can also be found in other countries. New organ at St Davids Cathedral built by Harrison & Harrison in 2000. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany // The pipe organ is a musical (keyboard) instrument that produces sound by admitting air under pressure through a fipple mechanism of a whistle and/or through one or more reeds incorporated into pipes. ...

The charismatic founder of the company, the eponymous Henry Willis, was nicknamed "Father Willis" because of his contribution to the art and science of organ building, and to distinguish him from his younger relatives working in the firm. Henry Willis (born: 27th April 1821, London - died: 11th February 1901, London) was a British orgainst turned organ maker. ...

He was a friend of Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 — 19 April 1876) was an English organist and composer. ...

Willis's are regarded as the leading organ builders of the Victorian era, itself a time when both civic and religious commitment led to the erection of a large number of impressive buildings and other public works. During the Industrial Revolution any town worth its salt would want an imposing Town Hall, preferably with a Willis organ, and a substantial (and similarly equipped) church. Industrialists competed to endow the most lavish halls and instruments. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ...

The result was a convergence of both a very fine and technically proficient organ builder, and a substantial number of commissions for really exceptional instruments. This heritage has, fortunately, lived on, thanks in part to the quality of craftsmanship and in part to sensitive restorations and maintenance such as that recently completed on the Albert Hall instrument by Mander & Sons of London. It is a tradition that an organ, when rebuilt, retains the original maker's name, even if the pipework has been substantially augmented or replaced. Many historic organs have, like Grandfather's old axe, little original remaining. Grandfathers old axe is a colloquial expression describing something of which little original remains: its had three new heads and four new handles but its still the same old axe. ...

Notable Willis organs

The most famous "Father" Willis organs are probably those in the Albert Hall, St. Paul's Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral, but there are many more including the cathedrals in Aberdeen, Calcutta, Canterbury, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hereford, Lincoln, Oxford and Truro. Windsor Castle has a Willis as do several town halls (e.g. Reading), the Sheldonian Theatre and the Royal Academy of Music. Albert P. Hall (born November 10, 1937 in Boothton, Alabama) is an African-American actor. ... St Pauls Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ... Salisbury Cathedral in the early morning light. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation). ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... Statistics Population: 42,258 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TR145575 Administration District: City of Canterbury Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and... Statistics Population: 42,939 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: NZ274424 Administration District: City of Durham Shire county: Durham Region: North East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Durham Historic county: Durham Services Police force: County Durham Ambulance service: North East Post office and telephone... Edinburgh (pronounced ; Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic) is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... Hereford Cathedral Hereford (pronounced hěr-ə-füd or hěr-i-füd) Welsh: (pronounced Henforth) is a city in the west of England, close to the border with Wales and on the River Wye. ... Shown within Lincolnshire Geography Status: City Region: East Midlands Admin. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Truro (pronounced ; Cornish: Truru) is the only city within the county of Cornwall, it is also Cornwalls administrative centre. ... Windsor Castle: The Round Tower or keep dominating the castle, as seen from the River Thames. ... Reading is a town and unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) in the English county of Berkshire. ... Sheldonian Theatre. ... The Royal Academy of Music (sometimes abbreviated to RAM) is a music school in London, England and one of the leading music institutions in the world. ...

Although Willis are mostly remembered for organs on the grand scale they also built smaller instruments.

External links

• Henry Willis & Sons
• 1883 Father Willis organ at St Dominic's Priory, London NW5