Contrabombarde Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I'll echo that sentiment wholeheartedly. Excellent workmanship and fascinating insight into the inside of the New Zealand organ, plus the chance to play an organ I last played maybe twenty years ago at Addington Palace (and a whole lot better now it sounded too!). As an aside I see that Mr Father Willis's magnum opus, St George's Hall Liverpool can be available on loan as a temporary organ (at least an electronic reproduction of it!) to churches whose organs are taken out and repaired in the factory. Certainly worth bearing in mind as a carrot if and when our local church organ fund gets enough to cover the restoration we're waiting for, though we might not want to hand it back again afterwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Richell Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I trust those brave people who drove to Liverpool found 4 wheels when they returned to their cars ! I am sure that John Mander must be delighted that someone has copied his unique idea of having an open day ! We all look forward to the next MANDER open day without the bribery of free beer thank you. Colin Richell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip J Wells Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 edited blank - double posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip J Wells Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I trust those brave people who drove to Liverpool found 4 wheels when they returned to their cars !I am sure that John Mander must be delighted that someone has copied his unique idea of having an open day ! We all look forward to the next MANDER open day without the bribery of free beer thank you. Colin Richell. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaConsort Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 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 Completely agree Philip. Why does it have to happen with such tedious regularity! For me it spoils the spirit of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I trust those brave people who drove to Liverpool found 4 wheels when they returned to their cars ! You will be pleased to know that at the end of the day my car still had four wheels, as it also used to have when I lived in Hackney, or when parking to visit Columbia Road flower market just round the corner from our hosts. I parked immediately behind the factory, free parking less than ten minutes walk from St George's Hall or the Metropolitan Cathedral, each of which I also visited; even better, it was alongside a substantial area of grass that was excellent for exercising the dog I also had with me. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I parked immediately behind the factory, free parking less than ten minutes walk from St George's Hall or the Metropolitan Cathedral, each of which I also visited; even better, it was alongside a substantial area of grass that was excellent for exercising the dog I also had with me. Paul I think I know what you mean. I hope you picked it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I trust those brave people who drove to Liverpool found 4 wheels when they returned to their cars !I am sure that John Mander must be delighted that someone has copied his unique idea of having an open day ! We all look forward to the next MANDER open day without the bribery of free beer thank you. Colin Richell. I assure you that I most certainly would have gone even without the free beer. I think if I were HW, I would rather resent the suggestion of 'bribery'. And, yes, my car still had four wheels when I returned. On the matter of parking, when we arrived we found a space at the front just behind HW's transit van, but noticed a sign saying 'no stopping' (never mind 'no parking'). Despite others having parked there, my wife insisted (as she was driving) that we park round the back and walk a few yards! One little question: wasn't the original 'Rotunda' works in London? I presume that when Willis moved to Liverpool, they named their new premises after the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I think I know what you mean. I hope you picked it up! Of course; but actual exercise is very much the point with my dog! wasn't the original 'Rotunda' works in London? The first, I think, was in Homerton (Hackney), and the next in Camden, then Brixton. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Patrick Coleman Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Some of us are getting rather tired that every time the Willis name is mentioned you must have a go at them.PJW Absolutely agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DouglasCorr Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 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. PJW Visits to organ builders workshops were not unusual 50 years ago. My school had a Norman and Beard organ and I remember visiting Hill, Norman and Beard in North London (Hornsey?) one very memorable Saturday afternoon. Very generous of them to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsoff Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Visits to organ builders workshops were not unusual 50 years ago. My school had a Norman and Beard organ and I remember visiting Hill, Norman and Beard in North London (Hornsey?) one very memorable Saturday afternoon. Very generous of them to do this. Indeed; and it still so is today. A group of us from Stratford-upon-Avon went to the workshops of Principal Pipe Organs in York this summer to see progress on the new organ for the Guild Chapel. We were made very welcome by Geoffrey Coffin and his men, who treated us to tea, coffee and home-made snacks before being given a talk and then a tour of the works. Fascinating stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Willis Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I assure you that I most certainly would have gone even without the free beer. I think if I were HW, I would rather resent the suggestion of 'bribery'. Thank you John, I'm glad that you all had a good time. I would resent the above comment, if I weren't so used to it from that quarter - even though it is a libel. DW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavecin Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 David, Very sorry that I didn't make it. I reluctantly came to the rescue of a fellow organist who needed someone to play for a wedding at the last minute. I tried driving down mid-afternoon but got totally snarled up in traffic so turned back. Glad to hear it went well. DT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clark Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I trust those brave people who drove to Liverpool found 4 wheels when they returned to their cars !I am sure that John Mander must be delighted that someone has copied his unique idea of having an open day ! We all look forward to the next MANDER open day without the bribery of free beer thank you. Colin Richell. Colin, I really hope that you do not intentionally antagonise other contributers to this forum. My undersanding is that we all appreciate the great work done by organ builders no matter what firm they work for, and I know that John Mander himself recognises the excelllence of other - but not rival - companies. We organists - and I assume you are one? - are, frankly, minority animals not just in the world of music but in the world at large and thus we need to support each other, just as organ builders themselves must support each other, if, for no other reason, to learn from each other. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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