Birmingham Town Hall Restoration

[Ronald Shillingford]

I thought I would just fill those of u in who might be interested in news of Birmingham Town Hall and the Hill Organ when it will be heard again. We were informed by the people overseeing the restoration that the Organ Console was being returned to Brum in April and reinstalled. I am not quite sure what exactly has been done to it other than the fifth manual being removed and possibly a sequencer has been fitted. I also understand that the Organ will be worked on in the summer. It would be helpful if Manders could tell us what the work being proposed involves as some organ buffs keep telling me its another rebuild which I doubt very much. The hall will reopen in October 2007 and we were told Thomas Trotter's first solo Organ Recital on it would be Sunday October 14th 2007. So make a note of the date folks it promises to be a fabulous event.

[parsfan]

Here we are:

 

 

http://www.thsh.co.uk/

 

Talk of a two week festival and a mailing list to subscribe to !

 

Ed

[Guest Geoff McMahon]

Basically, the organ is being cleaned and overhauled following the work which has been carried out to the building itself. The fifth manual keyboard is indeed being removed (as it was never used) but the pipework is staying, albeit now being made a little milder as it is no longer needed to give the organ the added boost which was necessary when the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was regularly used alongside it, for which it had not been much of a match. The console is going back in a slightly different position, higher up than before. But nothing is being changed radically and we are indeed starting in April on site with an anticipated completion date for early July.