A talk focusing on the history of a renowned organ-building firm in Durham will take place next month.
The event at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, will be an opportunity for people to hear organ builder Owen Woods, from Harrison & Harrison, offer an insight into the firm’s history through the archive collections.
The company is best known for making and restoring large-scale instruments such as those in King’s College, Cambridge and Westminster Abbey. Owen will tell the stories of some of the organs built by the firm’s founder Thomas Harrison and his sons Arthur and Harry.
Thomas Harrison set up his business in Rochdale in 1861 and moved to Durham’s Hawthorn Terrace in 1872, where it remained until moving to a purpose-built workshop in Meadowfield in 1996.
Gill Parkes, principal archivist at Durham County Council, said: “This event promises to be a captivating talk. Our guest speaker will share the history of a well-known local firm whose archives have been preserved in County Hall for over 50 years.”
The session is part of a series of talks taking place at Durham County Record Office under the name of Third Thursday Talks, with topics ranging from the Durham Light Infantry to bridal fashions in old photographs.
Pipe Organ Perfection was originally planned for Thursday, 16 November but has been moved forward a week due to the Lumiere Festival and will take place on Thursday, 9 November between 6.30pm and 8pm.
Tickets cost £5 and can be booked by calling 03000 267 619.