A story of Australian commitment to industry, achievement and excellence which dates back to humble beginnings in the last part of the 19th century, the Beale story is an inspiration to all. Founded in 1893 by Octavius Charles Beale, the building that housed the factory at 47 Trafalgar Street, Annandale still stands today, testimony to the strength of the thriving Australian piano industry of the day. Indeed Beale and Company rose to be the largest piano manufacturer in the British Empire, producing some 95,000 pianos from 1893 to 1975.

The French music critic Oscar Comettant, visiting Australia in 1898 commented that “… there is probably no piano factory in the world so completely self-contained as the Beale factory at Annandale, NSW. Certainly there is none in the British Empire that produces nearly so many parts used in piano making …”

Beale set out to manufacture every element of his pianos. The range of trades he incorporated into the factory is astonishing: brass and iron foundries – ‘incorporated into only one other piano factory in the world’; power houses; timber yards, stores, mills, joinery works, cabinet departments, veneer works; paint and pattern shops, machine and electro-plating departments; keyboard action-making and fitting, tuning, intonating; drying kilns, dust-proof polishing rooms and experimental laboratories.

Photo Comments

1. Beale set out in 1893 to manufacture every element of his pianos.
Seen here is the precision drilling of the iron frame to ensure correct positioning and angle of all the tuning pins.

2. The range of trades incorporated into the Annandale factory was astonishing and the craftmanship second to none. Frames were hand strung with minute attention to coil spacing and string angle.

3. Wet belt sanding of finished panels to produce a mirror-like cabinet finish. At Beale great pride has always been taken by highly skilled tradespeople to create pianos of the highest quality.

4. At Beale, craftsmanship to the highest standard is essential at all stages of piano creation. The finest tolerances are critical in the manufacture of the keyboards.