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An Anecdotal History of Annandale

before 1770 | 1770-1876 | 1876-1900 | 1900-1905 | 1906-1945 | 1945-1960 | 1960-1998 | 1998-2007 | 2008- | References

Fate of a Rönisch Piano

Ronisch Piano dumped on Curb in 2006, Nelson St, Annandale.

The nameplate inside this piano indicates it was manufactured at the Rönisch Factor in Dresden.In 1866 Carl Rönisch was the first to put a full cast-iron plate into a piano. This enabled a high-tension scale and is considered the beginning of the use of full cast-metal plates in use today. Source Roenisch Pianos

Each piano has a serial number which would help date it - if the piano is still there tomorrow, I will check for a serial number. Production was taken over by Hupfeld in 1918 and moved to Leipzig, so the piano must have been made before that.

There are two numbers on the Piano 782 visible from the back, located on a diagonal beam and a 29048 printed at the top edge of the right panel (when facing the piano) of the top part of the piano.

According to www.pianos.co.uk/info/pianos/r/ronisch.php, the number 29048 indicates the piano was manufactured between 1891 - 1900. The 782 indicates a manufacture date of 1856 - 1870.

Shortly after these photographs were taken, the piano was broken up and put in the back of a Ute.

• Hupfeld Solophonola
• Roenisch Claviola 88-Note Player Piano
• The Rönisch Concert Grand Piano, commissioned in the late 1870's or early 1880?s by Australia's Nicholson & Co A one-of-a-kind, German-crafted, 125-year-old Rönisch Concert Grand Piano has found a home at the ANU School of Music Keyboard Institute, securing its future in Australia.

This photograph of a more loved Ronisch Piano in Queensland, was sent in by Cathy a visitor to this page.

Cathy reported that the piano has the original Australian distributor's details - C Winkworth and Son, ANNANDALE - embossed in gold on the front of the piano.

According to copies of April 1907 Orbituaries in the Leichhardt Library, CR Winkworth came to Australia around 1850. He joined a city music firm, and later started a C Winkworth and Son, Ltd, in Annandale, which grew into "state-wide organisation" with a warehouse at 51 York Street, Sydney. CR Winkworth handed over management of the organisation to his sons in about 1890.

According to a Cached version of www.conovercable.com.au Winkworths also trained piano tuners

The orbituary says he served as an Annandale alderman for 17 years. In 1906, he was elected mayor of Annandale. The Winkworth Steps are steep steps from Johnston Street down to Rose St, Annandale. He had three sons and two daughters - the eldest son was killed in France and the third son also served in WW1 - the reference at Annandale War Memorial seems to be to the elder.

Women Stringing Pianos at Beale's Piano Factory, Annandale

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