Murdoch, Murdoch & Co Upright

[charlieb2802]

Good afternoon 😊

I've recently acquired a Murdoch, Murdoch & Co. London upright with 155 & 157 Corporation Street above the keys and I'm trying to find out about its history.

From the info I've found so far the serial # is 50861 and model 88.

It has a mother of pearl insets on the middle panel as you can see from images which I've read may suggest the 1920s.

I'm so sorry if this has been covered, I've been looking for hours, but any help is gratefully received.

Charlie

[Bill Kibby]

My earliest reference to Murdoch in Corporation Street is at number 47, in 1897. The piano looks typical of the 1920s, but the number suggests that it may have been made before 1921. I will see what I can find, but Murdoch pianos cannot be reliably dated by serial numbers, because they were made for Murdoch by several factories. If your tuner feels it is safe to pull out the action (the working parts of the notes) it may be marked on the back with the action makers' name and number, and I may be able to date this. There may be general clues at
http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html
and if you want to search inside the piano for clues, have a look at
http://www.pianohistory.info/datemarks.html

[charlieb2802]

Thank you so much! Even this bit of information has brought it to life even more, thank you 😊