The firm was founded by Joseph William Walker (1802-1870) who was a 'parlour' apprentice to George Pike England. In 1828 JWW established his own business in Soho, London, moving later to Francis Street, Tottenham Court Road. Following his death, the firm was continued by his youngest and only surviving son, John James Walker.

The Walker family continued to manage the firm until the death of Reginald Walker MBE, grandson of JWW. In 1975 the Firm was reformed under management of Robert Pennells, a previous employee, who removed it from London to a new and well-equipped premises and revived the company's fortunes not least by the production of new mechanical action instruments. In this he was joined by his son, Andrew Pennells, who had been apprenticed to Klais Orgelbau in Bonn, Germany and who introduced many technical innovations.

Alas, Andrew Pennells died tragically young in 1999. After the retirement of Robert Pennells, Sebastian Meakin, who had been a Walker apprentice and had also had training in Germany, assumed leadership of the firm in 2005.

Since 2005 Walker have retained facilities in Brandon, Suffolk (where our former sister company, the industry component manufacturer P&S is based) and in Devizes, Wiltshire. Here an enthusiastic staff, all of them Walker trained, seek to build on the firm's musical tradition and reputation for technical innovation.