Search the Community

I've not started a topic before, so I hope this is in the correct section of the forum. Two questions about 32 ft flues. (1) Why did Willis I use metal at Carlisle and Salisbury, but (assuming only one 32ft flue) wood elsewhere? At Carlisle they're the first thing that greets you when you walk in, and metal looks better. But at Salisbury that is not the reason - they're no more or less obvious than those at, say, Durham, Hereford, Winchester. Metals sound rather different - they can have more 'drive' - but not that much. (2) Arthur Harrison 'inherited' full length 32ft flues from Willis and others, but installed very few himself. Why? I can't think of a single full length Harrison-made 32 flue in a church/cathedral other than Temple Church, London, which (I assume it's full length *) in any case was made for a ballroom. His lowest 5 or 6 notes were usually acoustic. Acoustic 32s can sound good in loud combinations, but they're no use for quiet stuff. Height is an issue at some places (Redcliffe for example), but is there another reason? Did he think that they were just not worth the expense? * It occurs to me that Temple open 32 might be acoustic, for there's a 32 bourdon for the quiet stuff. Maybe others know something that I've missed. Any thoughts?