Organ matters - Organs matter!

I would like to wish all the members of this forum a very Happy and Blessed Christmas and New Year, but please hold in prayer and your hearts all the families who are suffering from the floods and have had their Christmas and homes destroyed. Please also think of the homeless and the people alone, I would like to encourage as many of you as can to contribute to the Salvation Army request of a donation of £19.99I apologise if I am out of order making this request, but at times I see the the commercial ho ho season taking over from the true meaning of Christmas.

Barrie

Hi

I just put in Bradford and found it in the listings.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I noticed this organ on a recent television prog and looked it up on NPOR, it seems that heating engineers cut the wind trunking to the organ a few years ago. Is there any hope of it being made playable again??

Best wishes

Barrie

Well done with your battle with the EU MM!!!
I do like your comments about a treadmill, it might do the offenders some good.

Barrie

Hi

I hope the appeal goes well for them, I have noted from NPOR thay 6 of the Pedal stops were electronic in 1995 but disconnected in 2000, I hope these are not reinstated in the appeal as I feel pipe/digital rarely works.

Barrie

Hi
I wonder who has removed it and what its ultimate destination will be. What was the matter with it, Manders work is normally firsy class.

Best wishes

Barrie

Quite a lot of this organ is not Father Willis its Rushworth and Dreaper, it would be interesting to know what remains of the Willis pipework.

Barrie

Some organs are regretably simply not worth salvaging. I find this quite sad, yes pipework can be saved, but whats the point there are so many organs becoming available this added to the cost of hiring premises to store the pipework in, quite often for several years simply is not viable. I have often thought it is better if the organ is unplayable or in a bad state simply to mothball it in situ and hopefully when the financial climate improves there will me funds to restore it.
I realise that when the question of reordering crops up it is not always possible to save the pipeorgan, this happened at Pershore Abbey and our member Jonathan Lane has this fine organ in store. I do hope one day a home will be found for it.
I wish people would also realise that "Toasters" only have a limited life span and that a decent pipeorgan, if looked after will not need any attention apart from tunings for many more years.

Barrie

Thank you for the information, I was greatly impressed by the standard of workmanship and would like to see some more of their work.

Hi

The Jardine/Nicholson organ in this church is being rebuilt by Trevor Tipple of Worcester. The instrument is being enlarged to 3 manuals, the pipework being moved from its cramped chancel position to the West end of the church. There was a very loud Trumpet unit which I have been assured is going to be tamed!!!!
I will post the new spec on NPOR when the work is completed.

Barrie

Hi

Can anyone tell me anything at all about this firm? I discovered one of their instruments several years ago in Shropshire and it was most pleasing both to the ear and to play.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi
I have just seen that the memorial service for Carlo will be held at Pershore Abbey on the 26th of October at 2.30pm, followed by the burial of his ashes in the memorial garden at the Abbey. The Allen touring organ will be used for the service.
Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

Ive played a few as well, basically they do the job, but as Tony says beware of the Crescendo pedal. I found the reed rank on the larger of the series a bit too overpowering but I am sure this could be regulated down a little, the repeating mixture tires the ear very quickly.
I do like the Walker stopkeys and find them so easy to use and preferable to the stopkeys used by Compton.

Best wsihes

Barrie

Hi,

As the organ is not on NPOR could you make a note of its spec and builder etc and send in? Alternatively you could pm me with the details and I will submit them.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I was at the local crem today and had a priest in from Hawkesyard Priory, I asked him what the organ was and he told me a Hill, I looked it up on NPOR and it originated from Eton then went to Spode Hall, NPOR has no details of it there. Does anyone have any mor information or pictures of this organ?

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I could name one Anglican church where the organ was replaced by a toaster on a temporary faculty, pipework was removed to allow the speakers to be installed and this was stored in the roof of the church. Ron Poole, a for,er deceased member of this forum and I had both been organists of this church, he sent me pictures showing the total removal of the pipeorgan. Needless to say the toaster is still there.

As far as Catholic chuirches are concerned a few years ago I helped a church buy a Viscount to replace a dead Compton electrone, the parish priest only had the power to authorise a payment of £7k as the cost of the organ was over £11k he had to get authorisation from the Cathedral.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I think the answers can be seen in the section Organs on Ebay.

I am surprised that an organ builder would allow Makins to put the speakers in without care but it seems this has happened, they are only interested in getting their organ in.

The Priest of St Josephs should be held to issue over this and anyone else in the church that allowed the removal of this instrument, it only proves that Organ Certs bear no legal value, so why issue them?

Best wishes

Barrie

At least theres a decent time scale for removal on this one !!!!!!!!!

Hi

I agree with you David they always seem to leave the organ to the very last and then put it on ebay and ask a silly amount for it, do they not realise the costs in both removing and reinstating the organ in a new building.
A lot of firms will buy decent instruments for pipework BUT they are all limited on how much they can store for indefinite periods.
As it was a Methodist church they do not need a faculty.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi Marc,

I would strongly advise you to get an expert in to look at the lining, asbestos was used in all kinds of unlikely places.

At my last church the heating pipes runnung through the organ were covered in the wretched stuff but it had been concealed.

Where is the Rushworth coming from out of interest???

Best wishes

Barrie