News
Piano maker's records preserved
There was considerable press coverage of the closure of the Milton Keynes factory of Kemble & Co, the last British piano manufacturer, in October 2009. The Kemble brand will remain alive, but with production switching to Yamaha’s plants in the Far East.
Kemble & Co was established by Michael Kemble in 1911 in Stoke Newington, North London, then a centre of piano manufacture. The company remained there until 1969 and was strongly rooted in the local community. Kemble & Co retains the character of a family firm and the joint managing director, Brian Kemble, is the grandson of the founder. It is therefore appropriate that they have chosen to deposit their historical records with Hackney Archives, where they will be available in due course.
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