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St Paul's Church, St Albans

Started by diapason, August 25, 2017, 06:38:12 PM

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diapason

Jonathan Humbert has alerted people to the fact that the PCC of this church - which has been taken over by the evangelical wing of the CofE is applying for a Faculty to remove this organ.  It is a 2-manual and pedal organ, originally by Speechly, but said to incorporate work by G.P. England and also stops said to have been played by Attwood.  There is a facebook group campaigning for it's retention.  Please read and consider writing a letter of objection to the faculty application BEFORE 5th September.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1724807727825341/?fref=nf

http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N14497

Martin Renshaw

I hope that as a matter of course organ enthusiasts and indeed anyone with an interest in a vital part of our heritage will write to the Diocese of St Albans about this.   The person to write to - URGENTLY - is Deborah Cochrane [dcochrane@stalbans.anglican.org] .  My letter to her is as follows :
I'm writing to register my concern about a proposal to remove the organ in this church and to express my willingness to oppose any faculty granted for its removal.  This is on the basis that the present occupants of this church, as is the case in every other church, are not its owners but short-term tenants of its goods entrusted to them for the future.

Please reply to let me know that this preliminary letter has been read and registered.

Many thanks and with all good wishes,
Martin Renshaw


23 September : a conference and concert at St Stephen's, London NW3 2PP
Unwanted organs and organs at risk - what is their future ?
Find out more and register at soundsmedieval.org and bring along your friends and your ideas !
Martin


Martin Renshaw

I have now objected to the faculty for the removal of the organ at St Paul's church, St Alban's, via (you couldn't make this up...) their registry clerk, Anne-Marie Organ.

PLEASE TELL ME VIA THIS SITE OR DIRECTLY TO RENSHAW.MARTIN@WANADOO.FR OF ALL SIMILAR FACULTY APPLICATIONS SO THEY CAN BE OBJECTED TO AS WELL AND ON THE SAME GROUNDS, WHICH I SENT TO THE REGISTRAR IN THESE TERMS :
Dear Matthew Chinery,
This email is intended to lodge an objection to the faculty being sought for the removal of the organ from St Paul's church, St Alban's, on the grounds that such furnishings are not or should not be at the whim of the present tenants of the church to remove, but represent a costly resource that can be used by future and perhaps wiser generations.

Yours sincerely,
Martin Renshaw

diapason

Sadly, we have learned today, that the Diocese of St Albans have granted Faculty permission to the PCC to remove the pipe organ and replace it with an electronic substitute.  If anyone knows of a potential home for this fine instrument, please speak before it is too late.

JBR

So another one bites the dust.  Sad... and shortsighted of someone.
A missionary from Yorkshire to the primitive people of Lancashire

diapason

A triumph of ignorance over common sense - and another triumph of 'Jimmy Shand and His Band' over traditional worship.

ophicleide

I have the contact details for a Polish organ builder who is relocating and restoring organs to a very high standard. Let me know if this is an avenue you'd like to pursue. His team have recently removed an organ from a redundant church in Liverpool after a fruitless search to find a home for it in UK

diapason

Thank you - that sounds a good way to go.  Can I ask you to contact the man who is fronting the campaign to save the organ, Jonathan Humbert, via this FB page.  Message me if you can't get hold of him.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1724807727825341/

David Drinkell

I'm sticking my neck out here, but seeing how much the instrument has been altered over the course of its life, is it really worth saving?  Its present stoplist is far removed from previous ones.  If our esteemed correspondent Martin Renshaw is concerned about it, I presume that it contains a goodly number of historic pipes.