passion_chorale Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Thought it might be topical! With water lapping at Tewkesbury Abbey, and both the Grove and Milton Organs floor-standing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 My choir is supposed to be doing a weekend at Tewkesbury in three weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 The Thynne's masterpiece.... Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJJ Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Our local news goes up as far as there - they hadn't mentioned that the water had got into the Abbey as of half an hour ago. AJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 For everyone's sakes I sincerely hope it doesn't. Fingers crossed. Tirley hasn't been so lucky. Pic about 2/3 of the way down the page here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfortin Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 According to the BBC Radio Gloucestershire website:- "Residents of Tewkesbury have been cut off - roads in and out of the town are impassable and water and sewage have begun seeping into 12th century Tewkesbury Abbey." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveHarries Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Tewkesbury Abbey's website confirms that water has entered the Abbey for the first time since 1760. Worship is continuing mostly as usual by the sound of it. http://www.tewkesburyabbey.org.uk/Temporar...s/Flooding.html From the pictures on the abbey's website it looks to me as if the Milton organ will be safe as it is on some kind of screen and I belive that the Grove organ is also on some kind of raised platform so those may survive. The instrument that strikes me as in the greatest danger at the Abbey is the T. Elliot chamber organ of 1813. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cynic Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Tewkesbury Abbey's website confirms that water has entered the Abbey for the first time since 1760. Worship is continuing mostly as usual by the sound of it. http://www.tewkesburyabbey.org.uk/Temporar...s/Flooding.html From the pictures on the abbey's website it looks to me as if the Milton organ will be safe as it is on some kind of screen and I belive that the Grove organ is also on some kind of raised platform so those may survive. The instrument that strikes me as in the greatest danger at the Abbey is the T. Elliot chamber organ of 1813. Dave I've not been there this week (indeed, I was due to have given a recital there - on the Milton- this very lunchtime) but I think you need not be too worried about the organs*. Indeed, if any damp got to The Grove, this might be a blessing in disguise, since they have not had funds to sort it out and it has been way below par for at least ten years to my certain knowledge. I was due to make a CD upon it then and Great to Pedal went missing on middle C and this has not played since. According to the tuner (John Budgen) too much dismantling is required to get to this for it to be reinstated without a further restoration! The floor of the nave at Tewkesbury is raked up slightly about 2/3 of the way along (West-East) .... one goes up a step/ramp which must be at least 18"...therefore there will have to be a huge amount of further water in before anything but flagstones gets spoiled. I have friends across the road and have also talked to Carleton Etherington in the last couple of days. They held a service on Sunday morning and four congregation made it. *The Grove is built up somewhat, but the wind system and blower aren't. The Milton looks as if it's all high up, but some of the pedal, playing on electric action is right near the floor inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfortin Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 From the pictures on the abbey's website it looks to me as if the Milton organ will be safe as it is on some kind of screen and I belive that the Grove organ is also on some kind of raised platform so those may survive. The instrument that strikes me as in the greatest danger at the Abbey is the T. Elliot chamber organ of 1813. The case of the Milton Organ is some distance above ground level, although not on a screen as such. However perhaps less than half of the organ is actually in the case, with, I believe, the solo, choir, and much of the pedal organs closer to ground level. I would think it unlikely that any of the pipe work would be at risk, although there could be damage to low level infrastructure such as windchests, electrics and possibly pedal sound chests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heva Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Having seen UK police 'dealing' with a flood on YouTube recently (also featured here) - things look ok, don't they Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip J Wells Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Tirley hasn't been so lucky. Pic about 2/3 of the way down the page here. Tirley has a nice little Bryceson Bros & Morten, c1873 to ?1877 (spec & pics on the NPOR). Although it is built up on a plinth to avoid flooding looking at this picture of the church with water nearley up to the roof of the entrance porch I can tell you the plinth is not that high! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Fowler Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 It saddens me to think of all the `little' churches that will have serious damage to their instruments. In a standard `four square' instrument, it is usually the bellows, often the blower, pedal soundboards and pipes together with the console pedalboard areas that are damaged. In these days of so many `small print' clauses and peculiar interpretations of same when paying out is concerned on an insurance policy I can only hope and pray that churches are covered for this sort of damage. Please let us know of a few examples. FF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shropshire Lad Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 I was disappointed at Cynic's lack of commitment in getting to the Abbey. If I can swim to the recital to listen then surely he can put in the effort to get there himself!! On a more serious note, Is your recital going to be rearranged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 It saddens me to think of all the `little' churches that will have serious damage to their instruments. In a standard `four square' instrument, it is usually the bellows, often the blower, pedal soundboards and pipes together with the console pedalboard areas that are damaged. In these days of so many `small print' clauses and peculiar interpretations of same when paying out is concerned on an insurance policy I can only hope and pray that churches are covered for this sort of damage. Please let us know of a few examples. FF Be thankful in the knowledge that in the event of the organs in these churches are too damaged to be mended and unable to afford a new one, they can always purchase a digital organ enabling them to continue to support the liturgy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 I wonder if I've got time to arrange "Little drops of water" as an introit. Seriously, though, it's not funny and my heart goes out to those suffering there at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cynic Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Be thankful in the knowledge that in the event of the organs in these churches are too damaged to be mended and unable to afford a new one, they can always purchase a digital organ enabling them to continue to support the liturgy. This is like saying - sorry your proper Sunday roast is gone...... have a pot noodle! P. Re: Recital at Tewkesbury I was prepared to go, and up to Sunday night was expecting still to give a recital today without my Monday evening rehearsal if necessary (though I was preparing to change the programme slightly). I may be both a daydreamer and a nutter, but there are limits. For the church to be unreachable is sufficient reason for me to bow out. It is possible that I get a chance to play the programme later this year, but (other than offering to do this) I can do not more than wait in hopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfortin Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 This is like saying - sorry your proper Sunday roast is gone...... have a pot noodle! Sorry Paul, I agree with you on most points, but this is too sweeping a generalisation. I played for a concert a week or so ago at a village church near Pershore where the best thing you could do with the (pipe) organ would be to burn it. There are, I feel, a great many village churches with instruments that can at best be called ordinary, and whose music could be transformed by replacement of a very poor pipe instrument with a top quality digital one. Needless to say, I don't include Tewkesbury Abbey in this category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 This is like saying - sorry your proper Sunday roast is gone...... have a pot noodle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Fowler Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Please can I haul this thread back to insurance situations. FF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Please can I haul this thread back to insurance situations. Would a church be allowed to buy an electric/electronic organ as a replacement for a pipe organ if the policy was like-for-like? And presumably in the C of E a faculty would be required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrabordun Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 if the policy was like-for-like? Sadly, the insurers probably wouldn't know the difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaConsort Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Sadly, the insurers probably wouldn't know the difference I dont suppose they would; to them an organ is an organ whether it has pipes or not, but I suspect, as already mentioned if it were a CofE building, faculties would no doubt be required. Dont quite understand the "sadly" bit myself. If it is a fine organ, of historical value, or artistic merit then of course it should be rebuilt. If it is of poor quality, then why throw good money after it? Either replace with a 2nd-hand good pipe organ (from eBay perhaps!) or a decent digital organ (as per Lee Blick's comments). Each case surely should be judged individually. Before things like organs are sorted, I hope things like homes, electricity and water are sorted for the poor people who have been so affected by all of this. And, what of the wildlife - not read or heard anything about how livestock fared throughout all of this - and what about the rabbits??? Richard Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I wonder if I've got time to arrange "Little drops of water" as an introit. Seriously, though, it's not funny and my heart goes out to those suffering there at the moment. Would a bit belgian humor be tolerated.....Why not Bach's ''an Wasserflussen Babylon'' ? (OK I am already gone!!!) Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heva Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Speaking of flooding: what a relief Worcester Cathedral organ was removed on time ps. were has the phear smiley gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Fairhurst Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 I wonder if I've got time to arrange "Little drops of water" as an introit. My recessional last week was the Hornpipe from Handel's Water Music - after all, about 100 yards down the hill, the road was closed due to flooding sweeping half the bridge away. I've played a heavily disguised 'Raindrops are falling on my head' while waiting for a bride to arrive in torrential weather before, but clearly too heavily disguised, as no-one noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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