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CHALLEN PIANOS – HARRINGAY - LONDON - WORLD'S LARGEST PIANO |
My earlier memories of Challen Pianos were of a kid when attending the
Friday night Speedway events at Harringay stadium back in the 1950’s.
Along with my brother and sister, our journey would take us the length
of Hermitage Road before climbing the very steep steps up to one of the
stadium entrances. Alongside these steps was the Challen factory that
always looked so large and imposing. |
THIS OLD MAP FROM THE 1950'S SHOWS THE CHALLEN FACTORY 'OMEGA WORKS' IN THE SHADOW OF HARRINGAY STADIUM
It was many years later that I heard they had at one time built the
largest piano in the world. It was great to know that a proud factory in
Tottenham had held this distinction. |
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It was in 1934 that the
management of Challen Pianos, who were then a leading British piano
manufacturer, decided they wanted to build the world’s largest piano to
mark the upcoming 1935 Silver Jubilee for King George V and Queen Mary. |
The eventual piano was
nearly 12 foot in length and weighed nearly 1 ¼ tons. Years later, when
the Guinness Book of Records was established post-war, it was officially
acclaimed as the largest piano in the world. It had been built at their
Hermitage Road factory ‘Omega Works’
. |
![]() THE ORIGINAL LARGEST PIANO BUILT IN 1934
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Challen pianos were supplied to the BBC and could
be heard on many popular radio programmes of the day. Of course this was
before the age of the television, so for most of the population BBC
radio was the source of most of their home entertainment. |
![]() THE WORLD'S LARGEST PIANO ON DISPLAY AT THE BBC |
THE WILDERNESS YEARS
It transpires that somehow the Piano was then lost for nearly 40 years
until purchased by a Paris piano dealer in 1984. The piano was
subsequently sold to a private buyer in France.
It was pleasing to learn that in 2020, following many years of neglect,
the piano was purchased by a company in Norfolk who immediately made
plans to restore the piano back to its former glory. This had taken over
2 years of effort, and the project team took care to ensure that
traditional parts and methods were used in the restoration process.
THE RESTORATION PROJECT
We are indebted to the Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham who shared with
me a number of photographs that they had received showing the
restoration works and a picture of the fully rebuilt instrument. |
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![]() STRIPPING DOWN THE PIANO |
![]() THE UNDERSIDE OF THE PIANO |
![]() RESTORING THE FRAME |
![]() RESTORING THE SOUNDFRAME |
![]() RESTORATION IN PROGRESS |
![]() RESTORATION IN PROGRESS |
![]() WINCHING FRAME BACK INTO POSITION |
![]() RESTORING THE KEYBOARD |
COMPLETION OF PROJECT
It is so pleasing to see this little bit of
our Tottenham industrial
heritage restored and to fully appreciate the dedication and skills used
by craftsmen in the original manufacturing process. Furthermore, to
realise how these same levels of dedication and skills had been
exhibited during the restoration works. |
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Hopefully, for many years into the future,
this ‘Grand Piano’,
in every sense of the word, will continue to bring music to the ears of
everyone who has the opportunity to listen.
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Article prepared by Alan
Swain - December 2024 Original photographs courtesy of Bruce Castle Museum- Tottenham |