Churchill Baby Grand

[Bill Kibby]

It's a common enough surname, and there is no reason to connect it with the American firm at all. Samuel Churchill was not listed as a pianoforte maker in the Bristol directory of 1878, but he was at 40 Park Street by 1886, and apparently gone by 1894, although Churchill & Son were at 66 Park Street by 1914, and continued there through the thirties. Retailers often put their names onto pianos. Without the maker's name, we cannot use the number to date it.

[PianoGuy]

Latterly, Churchill became a label used by the other Bristol piano dealer, Mickleburgh's. They applied the name to many restored pianos of other brands by means of a waterslide transfer.

[dorsetpiano]

We have recently acquired a baby grand piano. The name on the key board cover is Churchill and it also says 66 Park St, Bristol, which I take to be the original suppliers address.

I have searched the www and can find only very limited reference to churchill including that it may be a trade mark for the hartford piano co, Chicago.

I know that the iron from is British made but it has no makers name, there appear to be two serial nos 11440 onn the sound board and 34342 on the edge of the case.

Any ideas as to the history and age, suggested to be 1930s.

If you are still out there after all these years, I have recently acquired a baby grand with the same Churchill sticker on the right hand end of the keyboard cover/lid. Mine is a Steinberg Berlin (says so on the lid and on the iron frame) and it has a serial no 34426. My piano tuner has stripped it down and said that the bottom "A" key has 1936 written on it. If they are in any way related yours would be slightly older.

[Bill Kibby]

We have come across 34426 before, when someone else had "just bought" it.

It fits in quite well with the few confirmed dates we have for Steinberg Berlin numbers.

Can you give us the complete, exact wording of the "Churchill sticker" please?

[dorsetpiano]

Does this help?

[Bill Kibby]

It would be useful to see the whole piano. I will try to find out when Churchill became Ltd.

[dorsetpiano]

Does this help? As I said earlier my piano tuner says that it has 1936 on the bottom A key and it has a Flemming action. Is it possible that some of these were rebranded as Churchill? Obviously this one couldn't be as the Steinberg name is cast into the frame.

[Bill Kibby]

Most retailers were selling a mixture of well-known names like Steinberg, and their "own brand" bought in from anonymous wholesalers, with fictitious aliases. It is quite likely that Churchill put his name onto pianos, but unlikely that Steinberg would allow it on theirs.

It is so difficult to date baby grands, I am glad of the opportunity to see one that has been dated. In the same way, I would be interested to know if you ever find a number on the Flemming action.

[dorsetpiano]

Just had a look at the action number, looks like 24966.

[Bill Kibby]

Thanks for that, but it is fairly rare that numbers on keys have anything to do with action numbers. The actions and keys are often made by different firms, and key numbers hardly ever help at all. Certainly, this is a much lower number than they used in 1910.