Annandale on the Web
Established 1998
Established 1998
The Beale Piano factory was opened in 1902 by Sir Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister. Beale and Co were the first to produce Veneer in Australia.
Playing Second Fiddle: A history of the relationship between technology and organisation in the Australian music economy refers to advertisements, from 1924/5, in which Beale and Co claimed exports to various parts of the world and trumpeted their success at the 1924 Wembley Exhibition.
The piano factory was closed during World War II. At which time, according to John who phoned into 2BL Brekky on 30/9/2005, it was taken over by De Havilland Australia to manufacture molded plywood Mosquito Bombers.
See Benton's images of the a plane on the way to the Piano Factory and making pianos. More at Annandale on the Web - 1906-1945. Also Picture Australia images - including veneer and plywood logs being unloaded from barge.
During 1998, the building underwent major renovation, which has transformed it into a residential complex.
The National Library of Australia, has a Beale catalogue published around 1903: Piano Catalogues: A Window Into Industry, Trade and Australian Social History. Photo at right - Women stringing pianos 1920s - courtesy Leichhardt Local Studies collection.
Beale Pianos in the newspapers
See "Piano factory, heritage report", 1997, prepared by Robert irving for Walker Corporation. Available in the local studies collection, Leichhardt Library.
See Ronisch Piano dumped on Curb
Annandale North Public School was opened in 1905.
Glebe and Annandale from Glebe Island (1900-1939)
This page www.ramin.com.au/annandale/story4.shtml last update 25 September 2008.