EMERGENCY! Historic 1836 Renn organ in Cheshire needs a new home URGENTLY!

[NonPlayingAnorak]

Hello all!

Perusing, as one does on a semi-regular basis, the IBO redundant organs database, one stumbled across the latest addition: an 1836 Samuel Renn instrument, rebuilt in 1909 by Nicholson and Lord, with further work by Jardine (successors to Renn) in 1932 and 1980. It is situated in a west end gallery in a redundant church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, in the town of Bollington in Cheshire. It has a quite pleasant case - clearly pre-Puginian Ye Olde Curiositye Gothicke, owing only small detailing to the Gothic and the rest to Eighteenth Century designs, perhaps a little 'squashed' in its proportions, and also suffering from an unfortunate paint scheme (the main colour being white, with front-pipes in gold and what is either dark grey or dark green, it's difficult to tell from a tiny photo - but it looks far too wedding-cakey).

However, the tonal scheme is more promising:
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N02114
Needless to say, all tracker action... though the absence of any info on the Pedal key action might suggest that that has been changed to pneumatic or somesuch.

While it is slightly limiting, a very few additions could make it very useful. A more drastic rebuild as a 3-manual, or a rather large (30+stop) two-manual, would make it a formidable recital instrument, but would probably loose the essence of what it's about. I don't know it, but judging by its date, it probably has a fairly mild tone - I think, if the pedal is on electropneumatic chests, simply extending the (later) Bourdon to 8ft 4ft pitch, and adding a 16ft reed, you'd still have a jolly good Bach organ. The Swell could well benefit from a 4ft reed, too... get rid of the Dulciana (every example - of dozens - that I have encountered has been utterly useless) and stick in a Clarion, or an Octave Oboe (a very rare stop, but I know one and it's stunning, very useful too)... or maybe a mixture? Mind you, the Great already having two, though none above a 22nd... not sure.

[Holditch]

Here is a quite a good picture of the outside and inside (showing the organ) of the church

http://www.happy-valley.org.uk/civicsociety/stjohnschurch.htm

I hope this one finds a new home, however the number of redundant organs in Manchester is now building up!

(PS I dont normally post at 3am in the morning, its one of those sleepless nights!)

[NonPlayingAnorak]

Ooh yuck. A real Commissioners' Gothick preaching box  >:(

[NonPlayingAnorak]

Also worth mentioning another organ in Cheshire, and another Renn (& Boston) instrument (in Staffordshire) also on the IBO list:

The Renn & Boston, Christ Church, Biddulph Moor, Staffordshire:
http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/services/redundant/manResult.asp?manuals=two&Submit=View&index=2
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=P00637
That's been listed since February.

The other Cheshire organ (in St Winifred, Birkenhead), a 2-manual, 10-stop Henry Poyser of Chester, apparently very nice, certainly has jolly nice fretwork pipeshades, just listed last Thursday:
http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/services/redundant/manResult.asp?manuals=two&Submit=View&index=1
NPOR recognises the church's existence, but there is no survey. Tony, I wonder if you could help here?

Also very recently listed, a Walker 3-rank extension organ of 1939, revoiced 1956... I've encountered a 1950s Walker (mostly straight, all bad) and a 1968 3-rank Walker extension job (just totally bland and characterless), but I'm prepared to believe that someone might have use for a well-maintained instrument like this one in Norfolk:
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N06244
http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/services/redundant/manResult.asp?manuals=two&Submit=View&index=13

Also newly listed, an absolutely tiny Harrison & Harrison of 1899 in storage in Lancashire:
http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/services/redundant/manResult.asp?manuals=two&Submit=View&index=22

[revtonynewnham]

Hi

Firstly, if you send an e-mail re. the organ that's not on NPOR to the NPOR office (address is on the web site) - with a link to the IBO list, then it will get entered in due course.  That's far better than me adding to my personal "to do" list, which is already far too long because we give priority to dealing with routine updates - at least until we can get the delay down to a reasonable time span (and anyway, I'm not the only editor - thankfully!)

As to the Walker - they're perhaps not the most inspiring organs - at least in the period in question - but the pipework is sound and the instrument could well be of use in many churches - if only there was the vision.  The Walker "Positive" extension jobs - along with similar instruments by Compton and a few other firms really filled the market segment of the mid-range digitals these days - a basic instrument where space & finance are limited - and they last a heck of a lot longer than any electronic!

I've played a couple of Walker Positives - for what they are, they're reasonable organs - although the one in a local Catholic Church - apart from being hopelessly underpowered (the church seats 500 and I needed full organ for a congregation 1/5the that size) (It would be better if it wasn't stuffed in a chamber)  had a delightful trap - the general crescendo pedal is on the left of the swell pedal, rather than the standard arrangement - and of course, with the crescendo pedal slightly open the stop keys cease functioning.  Very irritating.

Every Blessing

Tony