Maker/Dealer
Higham
Manchester
England
1842 - 1960s

- 1842 Joseph Higham (1818-1883) establishes business at 127 Strangeways in Manchester
- 1844-47 added location at 105 Chapel St, Salford 1850-63 added location on Victoria Street
- 1852 now makers to the Army
- 1857 Higham patents "Clear Bore" cornet w/RV (top photo)
- 1863 now makers to the army, navy, & for export; 2 Victoria St
& 131 Great Ducie - c1880 Cundy of Boston is sole US agent for Higham
- 1880 new factory added behind office at 127 Strangeways c1881-c1898 Lyon & Healy of Chicago is US agent
- 1883 Higham dies and is succeeded by son-in-law Peter Robinson (1835- ?)
- 1887 Cornet #36352 is given to L&H employee Fuller
- 1889 the business is advertised for sale in June
- 1891 patent for trombone with echo bell
- 1892 open branch in London, 84 Oxford St.
- 1894 46,000 instruments made by this time; 90 employees
- 1899-1900 London store now at 4 Soho St.
- 1904 began woodwind production; instruments are made to Kneller Hall pitch of Bb = 479.3 hz
- c1910 Fillmore Brothers Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, are sole US agents
- 1911 Robinson sold his part of the business (he was 76) Appears that their business relationship with Lyon and Healy ended.
- 1923 bought by Mayers & Harrison, 58 Erskine St, Hulme
- 1928 now at 213-15 Great Jackson St.; serial # around 73000
- 1934 bought by Premier Drum Co.; use "Epic" and "Olympian" tradenames
- 1938 production ends for WWII
- 1945 production resumes with Mayers & Harrison as owners
- 1960s production ends





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