Magnificent Norman and Beard faces the skip

[makemoreandmore]

Large scale 2m Norman and Beard in South Wales. I don't have the spec but its likely to be 16, 16 and 8 on Pedal, Great Diapasons 1 and 2, Dulciana, 8 and 4 Flutes, 4' Principal , 2' Fifteenth. There is an 8' Tromba aswell. The Swell goes up to 3 rank mixture, with Oboe and Horn at 8'.

Lovers of this type of organ will appreciate the all embracing warmth of the Diapason Chorus, the penetrating 16' Open Wood, beautiful strings and well voiced reeds.

I believe the action is all pneumatic.

The church want to get rid of it to make 'better' use of the space.

[AnOrganCornucopia]

Hmm! This could fit the bill of my local CofE church, which is looking to acquire another organ to compliment its reconstructed Thomas Parker organ (short-compass Swell, GG-compass Great, no pedals, meantone temperament, not really a liturgical organ!) and to replace its Allen toaster... These N&Bs are great organs. The one at St John's Wimbledon (which is being played by my mother at this very moment) is only 25 speaking stops but it's STUNNING.

Hope it finds a good new home, anyway! At any rate, the Germans and the Dutch seem to be buying redundant English organs by the dozen - they seem to particularly like Keates and Brindley & Foster organs, presumably because of the Schulze influence. Might be worth approaching a relevant contact about this, or the other two organs you've mentioned.

[NEorganist]

Norman and Beard's are grand organs, for recital and liturgical purposes! I know any sizeable organ builder would be keen to take on a N&B as a transplant job, Harrison & Harrison in Durham for example.
I would recommend getting in touch with someone ASAP if the organ is facing the scrap-heap.
All the best...

[makemoreandmore]

Thanks for your comments. A friend of mine told me in glowing terms about the St John's N+B at Wimbledon, as we are attempting to rebuild one here in Cardiff. It sounded amazing in its former home, and I'm hoping that we might get the project finished this year.

A number of Welsh chapels had N+B if they could afford them. Ours didn't have a fifteenth until it was moved by HNB in 1965. The large rounded Open Diapason plus Principal could support a very large congregation of Welsh singers, underpinned by the sonorous pedal Open Wood.

There are 2 other N+B's under threat, but the listed building status of the chapels is giving them protection for the moment. The official line in Wales, where the final authority over non-denominational buildings rests with CADW is that not so much as a screw should be removed without CADW's sanction (which will not normally be forthcoming). My understanding is that it is assumed that listed buildings in the care of a denomination will be looked after with due regard to the listing, and that this includes the organs in them.

Once sold, a listed building, together with its pipe organ,  is then protected by the local authority, who can refer to CADW for guidance where alterations, including any removal of fixtures and fittings, are planned.

Unfortunately, sometimes the damage is done before the buildings are sold by the denomination, with some organs being savaged prior to the sale of the building, so that after the removal of the upperwork and reeds, there can be little argument when the new owner wants to scrap what is left. Just the facade remains.

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

What's the news on this?

Isn't this a case where an educational emmisary should try to introduce more inspiration to the church so that they might appreciate better the gem of a resource in their midst?

Best wishes

David P

[MusingMuso]

Hope it finds a good new home, anyway! At any rate, the Germans and the Dutch seem to be buying redundant English organs by the dozen - they seem to particularly like Keates and Brindley & Foster organs, presumably because of the Schulze influence. Might be worth approaching a relevant contact about this, or the other two organs you've mentioned.

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That's very interesting, especially since there are almost nbo Schulze organs left in Germany.  The connection is not only with Charels Brindley, who had studied in Paulinzella with the Schulze company, but with Carl Schulze (proabably no relative) who was the first head-voicer at Brindley's after staying in England after working for Schulze. When Carl Schulze went to Albert Keats as voicer, (himself a former Brindley man),
his place was taken by another ex-Schulze voicer by the name of Ott.

All of them voiced in "the Schulze way," according to the wisdom passed down by ex-Brindley workmen, but as there are no company records, it would be difficult to prove for definite.

MM

[AnOrganCornucopia]

What happened to Brindley's company records?

[David Drinkell]

Wasn't it the case that Yorkshire builders like Brindley followed Schulze in the adoption of Topfer scales (sorry - don't know how to do umlauts on here!), but the elder Herbert Norman was an innovator in departing from this 'norm' and using variable scaling?