16 Old pianos rotting away in abandoned buildings

During my trips to all these abandoned buildings I have come across more than a handful of Pianos and Organs, I’m guilty of not keeping great track of them all but here are a selection of some of the more memorable ones that I have photographed in various conditions of decay. Enjoy!

1. John Broadwood & Sons Grand Piano – Found in an unusual location, the kitchens of an old County Asylum in the UK that has been abandoned for decades. I expect it would have originally been located in a nearby lounge room which featured a lavish plaster ceiling but at some point had been wheeled into the kitchens. Quite a fine example, this piano actually worked and was reasonably well in tune considering how long it must have been sat there. Fortunately, we were in a really isolated location with no on-site security so my friend who was talented enough to know how to play gave it a wash and reeled off a few tunes.

2. W Howlett & Son’s Upright Piano – In a deteriorating state tucked away in a dark damp room of an abandoned little farm house in the United Kingdom, this piano was well beyond repair… The wood mouldy and keys seized, we used a few tealights to light the near pitch black room for a couple of photos.

3. Rubenstein Upright Piano – One of two uprights left behind in this disused Hall in the United Kingdom. Both in good working condition, in need of a tune and some TLC but otherwise they were free from damage.

4. Grotrian-Steinweg Grand Piano – This beautiful black Grand Piano was in a bit of a sorry state, and can be found in a popular derelict location known as “Dr Anna’s Haus” a derelict home surgery in Germany.

5. Unidentified Grand Piano – Covered with paint sat in a derelict military Hospital in Germany, this piano was used as part of a film set for a music video. At the time we had no idea and I think we must have visited shortly after the filming as I had never seen photos of it before we walked in the room. Such a perfect scene to shoot! If anyone knows the make of Piano I’d love to update this article so leave me a comment below 🙂 .

6. Unidentified Organ – Found in an abandoned French Chateau in poor condition after years of neglect.
7. Kaeferle Ludwigsburg Klemm Solingen Upright Piano – In great condition along with most of the abandoned building which it sat in. An empty health resort in Germany which was originally a private dwelling was the location of this lovely upright, currently, I believe the building is under renovation and so I suspect the Piano has been sold.
8. Unidentified Grand Piano – Found in bits the remains of a old grand piano which was presumably once used at this derelict theatre which is built in a prominent position of a large town in Bulgaria. Needless to say, it didn’t work 🙂 .
9. Lingmann Upright Piano – A little rough around the edges but still in working order was this Lingmann’s upright which I found in the basement of an Italian hospital. The hospital had been closed for more than a decade but surprisingly this lovely instrument had escaped the damage and vandalism found in most of the floors above…
10. Bell Organ & Piano co Ltd Guelph Canada upright – Found in a little house in Luxembourg, in pretty good condition considering the neglect the house was suffering from…
11. Unidentified Upright Piano – As you can see from the photo, this thing was in a sorry state with no Brand name left for me to identify. Found in a little Café which had its own function room which hosted the Piano and a little bowling ally.
12. Pleyel Grand Piano – One of two gorgeous grand Pianos in this abandoned French Chateau which also had a further upright Piano in the first-floor hallway. This one, in particular, was in really good condition and was working albeit a little out of tune!
13. The Aeolian Company Gabriel Gaveau Paris Grand Piano – The second of the two Grands in the amazing Chateau, in a little worse condition than the one in the lounge, this one found at the bottom of the main spiral staircase was still in a restorable condition I would imagine.
14. Unidentified Grand Piano – Quite a well photographed rotting Piano, this grand which has seen better days, sits at the bottom of the staircase of a relatively small Chateau in France. The building is falling apart and so its actually a surprise to see the Piano still standing after all this time. The room has been subject to a lot of graffiti since my visit and so isn’t quite as photogenic but still it was a lovely scene to shoot.
15. Unidentified Grand Piano – I couldn’t quite make out the name on this severely damaged Grand Piano which we found in an abandoned Chateau, it was in pretty bad condition when we visited but I’ve seen photos taken more recently which showed the legs had been damaged and the Piano effectively destroyed, presumably by vandals, or people attempting to move the instrument.
16. Pleyel Grand Piano – Another Pleyel Gran in equally as good condition as the first and also in good working order. I loved the colours on these ones, they photograph so well! Other than a bit of a dust and some retuning this one would still function.