Various piano names

[cindy95900]

Hi again, I have a few piano brands , but I don't know their history at all.
I was very interested in their history.

eg. 1). Luck & Luck piano
2). George Seachen
3). Henry Ward
4). Edward Dale
5). D.Morris & Co
6). Dale Forty & Co
7). Dussek & Dussek

Thank you very much if someone can tell me.

Cindy

[Bill Kibby]

I'm guessing that George "Seachen" is really George Peachey. Some of Peachey's pianos are marked "By Appointment to The Queen", and although no record of a warrant has been found through my enquiries with the Royal Library, Windsor, it may be on file at the Public Record Office.

[Bill Kibby]

I have seen a Dussek & Dussek piano, probably 1860s, but have found no record of the company so far in our large collection of directory lists of London firms. In 1812, the famous musician Jan Ladislav Dussek went to Saint-Germain-en- laye, where he died. We know of no connection with the pianos, which were later.

[Bill Kibby]

We have no record of a firm with this name, but among the pianoforte makers and warehouses in 1886, there were two separate piano firms named Luck in London:

Luck & Co., Pelly Road, Plaistow E.

Walter Villiers Luck, 75 to 85 Tabernacle Street; 1 to 14 Short Street & 5 to 12 Wood Street, Finsbury EC.

These do not appear in our other lists, including 1880 and 1892, but Avill & Smart were making pianos at 75 to 85 Tabernacle Street in 1892, so they appear to have taken over the Luck firm.

[thelarch]

Hi wendy,

I just came across your inquiry about your Luck & Luck piano, well my great grandfather was Walter Villiers Luck and his business was as follows

In the Stratford 1882 Commercial trade directory; History of Stratford.

• It was Luck & Co Pianoforte Manufacturing, Leyton Rd. Newtown located at 2 The Grove (building not existing today as confirmed by Google earth view)
As I understand it he was in this business until about 1900, thereafter immigrated to
Australia and became a export import merchant...of music. I don't know if he continued to build pianos. If you still have the piano I would love to have a photo of it as a important addition to his history. My email address is r.bferris@paradise.net.nz

Thank you and good luck
Robert

[Bill Kibby]

I will see if I can narrow down the date when Avill & Smart took over Luck's factory, they were certainly there by 1892. Keep in touch with me at the Piano History Centre in case anything else turns up.

[thelarch]

Thanks bill,
I was answering Cindy's message not Wendy. Yes the Lucks still had the business in the 1881 census, and I would certainly like an image of one of the pianos if somebody comes across one by chance?

[Bill Kibby]

Send me an email.