Organ matters - Organs matter!

Miscellaneous & Suggestions => Miscellaneous & Suggestions => Topic started by: chris13 on January 07, 2016, 02:21:49 PM

Title: Amateur organ builder Leo R.Hart
Post by: chris13 on January 07, 2016, 02:21:49 PM
Dear Forum members,
I am attempting to locate an acquaintance from many years ago named Leo Raymond Hart.

Leo and I lived in the same hostel at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell between 1972 and 1975. It was 1975 that I left and I guess Leo went on living there for number of years thereafter.

Leo was building his own pipe organ in a worksop on the AERE site outside the security fence in a workshop loaned by the staff social club. He collected pipes from churches either closing down or installing electronic organs. He had built from scratch his own three manual/ radial pedal board console and either built new wind chests or refurbished the originals. He used electrical valve actuation. We built up a friendship perhaps because I took some interest in what he was doing and he didn't mind my attempts at playing hymns and carols on his organ.

The last I heard of Leo was that he had left Harwell in the mid 1980s and trained in nursing somewhere on the south coast, perhaps Portsmouth but I'm not sure, and I don't know what happened to the organ. The organ, albeit somewhat large, was reasonably transportable.

This note is just a long shot to ask if any forum member had ever come across Leo and therefore give me a clues as to where to start looking. I guess that he would be aged between 75 to 80 by now. My reason for trying to contact him is merely to renew our acquaintanceship and discuss our musical interests.