Organ matters - Organs matter!

Restoring organs => Restoring pipe organs => Topic started by: ComptonNewbie on January 18, 2012, 07:55:22 PM

Title: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: ComptonNewbie on January 18, 2012, 07:55:22 PM
I have couple of Hope-Jones unit chests I hope to work into my project, and wondered if anyone could shed any light on their origins.  They are assumed to be ex-Opus 70, St Pauls Burton on Trent.  One is a very narrow scale, the other more like a flute.  I was under the impression most ranks on this organ were on multi-rank slider chests, but does anyone know which were on extended unit chests?  These have 80 and 68 pipe holes respectively and they still have their original H-J magnets, with wooden caps.
Any information would be very much appreciated.

Simon
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: AnOrganCornucopia on January 19, 2012, 03:57:41 AM
Hope-Jones was obviously famous for his use of octave couplers. The numbers you give suggest a 56-note manual compass with a superoctave coupler to both and a suboctave to one.

I'm probably being far too simplistic!
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: David Drinkell on January 19, 2012, 06:39:16 PM
It's quite common in North America to have 68 note soundboards for 61 note manuals.  This means the octave coupler works up to g56.  For some unfathomable reason, my organ has 68 notes on Great, Choir and Solo but 73 on Swell.  It's amazing how much longer the beasts take to tune with those extra notes up there!

I've never heard of extra notes being provided at the bottom for a sub coupler, except very occasionally for a particular stop, usually a reed.  An 80 note soundboard suggests extension rather than providing for the couplers.
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: Barrie Davis on January 20, 2012, 12:44:37 PM
Hi

What did happen to the Burton HJ? I know the console was acquired by the HJ society and I had assumed they had rescued the pipework and soundboards, I think the cases had to remain. It looks as if the organ was removed on a piece meal basis, has anyone got any further information about this?

Best wishes

Barrie
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: ComptonNewbie on January 20, 2012, 03:58:03 PM
I understand the majority ws removed and stored for some time in the local Co-op Funeral Directors premises.  Folks from the HJ museum picked over what was there and took whatever they thought was transportable.  They have sample pipes, but don't collect complete ranks presumably due to space constraints.  I think they left some multi-rank chests as too big to contemplate preserving.  A few other parts seem to have been preserved elsewhere, presumably someone else had a look over the parts before LTOT.

Simon.
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: flared_ophicleide on May 28, 2012, 02:41:58 AM
I guess I misunderstood what I found on NPOR and one other source.  I thought St. Paul's H-J was still there. 

On next yr's trip, this leaves an opening for another place to go to, since I was going to St. Paul's originally.  I think there's still a H-J in Warwick Castle?  If so & if I have time, I'll go.
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: Barrie Davis on May 28, 2012, 07:14:36 PM
Hi

Does anyone know if the HJ is still in Warwick Castle? NPOR is showing another organ of 13 stops in the nave. Where was the HJ situated as the Chapel does not look very big, I have been there years ago and my memory is vague... old age!!!!

Best wishes

Barrie
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: David Drinkell on May 28, 2012, 09:20:05 PM
I don't think the Hope-Jones organ was in the Chapel - maybe in the Great Hall.  I don't think it's there now, but I don't know why I think that!  If it is still there, I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned in recent writings about Hope-Jones.  I should imagine that Battersea Arts Centre (former Town Hall) is the best example of a Hope-Jones style organ remaining intact in the UK, with St. Oswald, Hartlepool running it a close second.  Both are listed as 'unplayable' in NPOR, but whether this means no sound can be coaxed out of them, I don't know.
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: revtonynewnham on May 28, 2012, 09:21:17 PM
Hi

NPOR N07581 wasn't in the Castle chapel - it was a large residence organ - there's a picture in Fox's book about Hope-Jones.  I don't know if it's still there - and if it is, what state it's in.  Someone has made an incorrect assumption on the NPOR entry - I've flagged it up for a correction in due course..  I don't know if the chapel organ is still there either.

St Mary, Warwick is interesting in that it's two organs both playable from the same console.  I had a brief play a while back - but had to severely restrict the volume or risk the wrath of the bookstall people!

Every Blessing

Tony
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: revtonynewnham on May 28, 2012, 09:24:18 PM
Hi

Battersea was recently surveyed by HWS associates - it does still play, but I haven't heard to what extent or if funding has been found for an overhaul/restoration.

Every Blessing

Tony
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: ILP on May 28, 2012, 11:31:25 PM
St Oswald, Hartlepool really is unplayable. The blower (and its chamber) were removed some time ago. The good news is that most of the organ is still there, and I don't think it's been interfered with much. However, it would be a full restoration project; I'm told very little of it still worked the last time it was heard probably 30 years ago. They had a Livingston electronic for years, and now there's a Makin.

Ian
www.hartlepool-sthilda.org.uk
Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: Contrabombarde on May 31, 2012, 09:45:57 AM
Some interesting comments above.

If you are refering to the old Hope Jones at St Pauls Burton on Trent, the specification and case photos are on NPOR, it's definitely 30 pedals 61 manuals.
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N03183#PhotoSection

One of the cases now houses a large 2 manual Conacher/Compton. There is a 3 manual Wurlitzer in the town hall which is right next door to the church, small world!

I can't find any reference to what happened to the 4 manual HJ at Warwick Castle - I'm struggling to think of a room big enough to house it or where it could have been situated. There is (in poor condition) a 12 stop  manual in the chapel by a local builder dated 1860.

I smile at the comment about St Mary's Warwick, which si in reality two or three cases scattered around the church controlled by one console. One of the loudest organs I've ever played, really quite unnecessarily loud.



Title: Re: Hope Jones wind chests
Post by: ComptonNewbie on May 31, 2012, 01:02:37 PM
The original question was which were on unit chests and which were on slider chests.  There was certainly some extension and probably borrowing, but little is recorded on the NPOR entry.

Mods, could the discussion of Warwick, Hartlepool & Battersea be split into a different thread?

Simon.