Philip J Wells

I think it is the same as tobacco smoke in producing a thin film on the pipes and all decorations in a church. Think of the ceilings in smoked filled rooms in pubs of yesteryear. I recall an organ tuner telling me of a church where they got the incense going etc near the intake to the blower. Apparently, the insides of the organ/windchests/actions got covered in a sticky mess which eventually stopped things working. PJW

Ian Bell's name springs to mind as he worked for them and has given talks and written on Compton. PJW

I seem to recall that the West Positive was voiced by Keith Bance. * I would love to see and read this also. Could he be persuaded to publish it in order to put the current record straight or is there a risk of lawyers getting involved? Failing that he could deposit it in the Gloucestershire Archives for future generations. PJW

This would shift the keyboards 1 inch to the right so D on the pedals would not be under middle D on the manuals. And, if you already have the keycheeks attached to 61 note keyboards, possibly even wired up, you are spending money on alterations. PJW

I do not think it was a mistake. I recall someone telling me it was HNB saving money. They already had a console in stock and it was cheaper to reuse it than make a new one so fill in blocks of wood went where the extra 3 notes would have gone! Many commented at the time it looked terrible; and it still does! This was in the days when 61 notes were the norm, along with electric actions and most firms had a dedicated in-house console shop. PJW

I think it is a great shame that the rumours of its replacement (was that in the 1970's or 80's) came to nought. We seem to have lots of organ scholars trained there who now all want H&H organs in their cathedrals. It makes for a standardized boring british organ scene. PJW

Maybe you have not played there recently. It was added for the organ's 10th birthday and the NPOR says: 2008 Johannes Klais Orgelbau Bonn Glockenspiel added, mounted out of sight at the top of the case, on electric action with a compass from tenor C to top D, playable either on the Solo, or on the Pedals via Solo to Pedal coupler, albeit an octave higher - i.e. 4' pitch covering the whole pedal compass; Used to good effect in the outgoing voluntary for the BBC evensnog broadcast recently. PJW

Cheeky; I think you may find that Peter Collins and Walker (when at Ruislip), were doing this years ago and I don't think they copied Manders. Organists' Associations have been welcomed at many an organbuilders over my liftime, here and abroad and I have been grateful for the invitations. Some of us are getting rather tired that every time the Willis name is mentioned you must have a go at them. I would have expected you to have been banned from here by now! PJW

edited blank - double posted

Thank you for alerting us to this. I will be interested to see what the article records about issues surrounding the issue of the faculty and the change of action. Much is made about its Bevington pedegree (for 2 of the 3 manuals anyway) but as this instrument has had several homes I wonder how the house organ now sounds in its new home. PJW

The only British en-chamade regal I am aware of was on the now removed organ built by our hosts for Jesus College, Cambridge. Did anyone hear/play that one or know what has become of it. I re-collect that it was going to a school in Cornwall? PJW

The publication "The Organbuilder" used to have a Directory of Denominational Organ Advisors which included The Church in Wales. The Institute of British Organ Building who publish the excellent Organ Building year book which took over from The Organbuilder no longer include this within their pages but have chosen to publish the list as a part of their website (along with the list of redundant organs). Sadly there are no entries at all for The Church in Wales. PJW

Thanks for that. I was relying on the information in the abbreviations for ConJ in the booklet "The Organs of Edinburgh" by David A Stewart published in 1991 by the Edinburgh Society of Organists. (I was in the throws of editing my text but was not quick enough to stop you commenting! I gave up going to organ recitals when I lived in Scotland.) PJW

It is but a short step from the largest number of organs in x years to the most rebuilt. A friend recently told me of Mansfield Chapel, in Edinburgh see www.mansfieldtraquair.co.uk. It is a Catholic Apostolic church with superb murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair, it had been turned into a depository but has been saved by becoming a resource centre which can be hired out for weddings, meetings, etc. It is a fine building but the Arts & Crafts murals by the above lady are what one most goes to see. And there is an intriguing structure which looks like a private pew or box high up on the S wall which was the organ case. As to the organ; no details on NPOR but from my very short form book of 1991 (if I can interpret the codes) : Originally an 1837 Walker 2 man from former church moved into here in 1876 by ?. This was when the church was consecrated. Hamilton of Edinburgh removed it in 1884 to Leith St John’s East. 1884 James Conacher of Sheffield built a 2 man, overhauled in 1886 Henry Wellby and Sons Edinburgh, overhauled 1888 Wellby, overhauled 1891 Wellby, rebuilt 1895 Wellby, rebuilt 1907 Arthur E Ingram Edinburgh, as 3 man 39 stops + 2 prepared, scrapped c1976 Frederick F Bell Edinburgh. PJW edited 22.56hrs

I think the haskelled bass to the Principal 16 was plonked on at the sides of the Herbert Norman case by Rushworth's when they did some tonal changes.

It came from Holmer Church in Herefordshire; see http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/hay/p...gtonorgan.shtml The NPOR info is here (including the fact that the manuals had mechanical action): http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N13047 PJW

The replacement is a secondhand Bevington (with a choir organ by another builder) in a splendid case. Some details are at http://www.wayonhigh.org.uk/organ.html . They are currently advertising in the Church Times for an organist. What I find rather suprising is that the instrument has been rebuilt in this church with a detached console and electric action. PJW

There must be something about the 3 week time period. According to the NPOR the organ at Alexandra Palace was an 1873 Father Willis London. First Organ: destroyed by fire, with the Palace, three weeks after being opened; However F-W did get to build it again in 1875 Father Willis London. Second Organ: built to a specification very similar to that of 1873; increased Manual and Pedal compass (originally 58/30); and to the Swell and Great mixtures described in the stop list. PJW

We will have to wait and see if Gordon Curtis' book on Sweetland, the Bath Organ Builder, to be published by Ashgate Publications next year covers this point. (At the sweetland exhibition in Bath I picked up a flyer for this book which is offering a 20% discount on the purchase price.) PJW

No, but it was also one of the first LP's I had. I rather liked the Festing but then I thought the whole of the series was a wonderful introduction to lots of organ music and Cathedral organs. My tastes have now changed somewhat over the years.

J S Bach - Toccata in C maj BWV 564 Festing arr Thalben Ball - Largo, Allegro and 2 variations Tomkins - Voluntary, Fancy, In Nomine Mendelssohn - Sonata no 4 in B flat major Op 65, First movement Howells - Saraband Howells - Preludio "Sine Nomine" Rheinberger - Sonata no 8 in E maj Op 132, Intro & passacaglia PJW