Paterson Sons & Marr Wood Ltd - Aberdeen

[kelsrae]

hi there,
I have an upright piano we purchased in a charity shop 7 years ago that I am now looking to get rid of. I'd like to see if I can find any more information such as age or history of the company. I've tried to google but get mixed results.

The name on it is 'Paterson Sons & Marr Wood Ltd' - Pianoforte Makers to His Majesty the King
183 Union Street Aberdeen

There is a name on the piano which is either Winkelman or Hinkelman? There is a number on the inside 9299 - is that the serial number?

I am just looking to find out a bit more about it before I try to sell it on. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Bill Kibby]

Paterson was a big name in the Scottish piano trade, music sellers to the Queen, and by 1922 they had joined forces with Marr Wood to become Paterson, Sons, Marr Wood Ltd., with a royal appointment.
Their name doesn't tell us anything about the individual piano, but Winkelmann was one of the makes they sold. Around 1900, Zeitter had merged with Winkelmann to become Zeitter & Winkelmann, but pianos continued to appear with either name.

[kelsrae]

Thanks for replying Bill

I think the serial number is 9299 does that help give an age?

We’ve decided to keep it and try spruce it up a bit :)

[Bill Kibby]

No dates of serial numbers are available but it might be shortly before 1897. Without seeing it, it is difficult to know whether this is likely. Before you start spending money on sprucing it up, I would recommend getting it checked by a tuner, to make sure it holds in tune, because if it doesn't, fixing that is a major expense.