Philip Moore

During my Guildford days, we used sometimes to take the choir to St Peter's to give concerts. After the dry acoustics of Guildford, St Peter's was a real delight. The console - HNB - was dreadfully uncomfortable and the pedal board a horror. But it made a fine sound. The Swell, as I recall, was at the east end of the organ but the shutters when open would send the sound against the opposite wall and then down the Nave. Very sorry to hear of Stuart Bellamy's death. But good to hear that the organ is still in one piece. I believe someone altered one of the mixtures - and removed the tierce. Grrr. But such things can easily be reinstated. Acoustics at Guildford are hugely improved after removal of asbestos and I believe the organ has taken on a new lease of life, although I have not yet visited since the organ was renovated.

This site is a real time-waster and utterly aborbing! (I have only just joined.) I have read with great interest the comments about York Minster; Robert Sharpe and Harrisons must be congratulated for sorting out the organ so comprehensively. Philip Marshall, (Lincoln) told me many years ago that you could feel a real punch from the pre-1961 organ even at the back of the Nave. It's especially good that some of the case pipes will speak once again. When I first arrived at the Minster in 1983, the Octave and Suboctaves worked on the Tuba Mirabilis. Unless every note was bang in tune, it could sound terrible even with either one of the couplers. Those stops are at their best in single notes, iMHO. In 1990 we decided not to connect them and I never missed them.

A lovely organ. I am so pleased it will be restored. It sounds rich and warm.