A. Hunter & Son

Alfred Hunter (1827-1911) was born in Lambeth, the son of Frances Steare Hunter, a wax chandler, and his wife Mary.[1] [2] He was baptised at St Mary's, Lambeth in 1827.[3] (St Mary's, Lambeth had a 1700 Renatus Harris organ; in 1918 Hunter's firm restored it, but the church was made redundant in 1972, and the organ was broken up.)[4] He was apprenticed to George Maydwell Holdich, and then worked for Henry Bevington and JC Bishop (Holdich had been apprenticed to Bishop).[5]

In 1851 he was a journeyman organ builder.[6] In 1856 he entered into partnership with Henry Webb (1821-bef 1881),[7] as Hunter & Webb, at 14A Griffin Street, York Road, Lambeth.[8] Webb was also a former Bishop employee; Hunter and Webb's wives were sisters.[9] The partnership was dissolved at the end of 1864,[10] and Webb became a publican.[11] Hunter then worked on his own account, as Alfred Hunter, until 1882, first at 13 Lower Kennington Green, then at 379 Kennington Road and finally at 65A (later renumbered as 87) High Street, Clapham.[12] The Clapham High Street premises were purpose-built by the Tate philanthropist architect, Sidney Smith.[13] Hunter was a churchwarden at Holy Trinity, Clapham Common,[14] which has a Hunter organ.[15]

In 1882 he entered into partnership with his son Robert (1856-1932), [16] as A. Hunter & Son. The firm continued to trade in that style after Hunter's death in 1911. In 1928 it moved to 235 Queens Road, Battersea. In 1937 it was acquired by Henry Willis & Sons.[17] Robert's sons Alfred Robert (1885-1971)[18] and George Frederick (1889-1963)[19] both also joined the firm; there is no record of them continuing to work as organ builders after the firm was sold to Willis in 1937. They are both recorded as retired organ builders in the 1939 register.[20]

Hunter were specialists in pneumatic key action organs.[21] [22]