The Story of our Church Organ
By Jenny Hodgson & John Richards
It all started with a little curiosity…
Jenny decided to see if the church organ would still play, as it hadn’t been turned on for a very, very long time. The first challenge was finding the key for the keyboard. After a bit of poking about, it was eventually discovered, tucked away on part of the organ case.
With the key finally in hand, Jenny opened the keyboard lid and switched her on. Almost immediately, she could hear the blower whirring away, which was a very encouraging sound! Jenny had a fiddle around with the stops and keys, and to her delight, discovered that the old girl was actually a goer! She was certainly in need of a good tune, but there was life in her yet.
Then, just a couple of days later, Jenny received an email from Heather, a local professional organist. She very kindly came along to have a look — or perhaps I should say, a listen — and gave the old girl a good blast for about an hour.
Heather was pleasantly surprised and commented that she thought our organ was actually better than one she sometimes plays in Cinderford. That was wonderful to hear! However, it was also clear that our organ needed some care and attention if she was ever going to be brought properly back to life.
John and Jenny then began exploring the organ a little more closely. It didn't take long to discover that, after all those years of being asleep, she was absolutely covered in dust and cobwebs.
Jenny got in touch with Pipe-Up at https://www.pipe-up.org.uk/ to ask if they could help. They have told us that our organ might qualify for their ‘Sleeping Beauty Grant’, which could be fantastic news for us. We are now waiting to hear what happens next and keeping our fingers crossed that they might be able to support our wish to get the old girl playing properly again.
In the meantime, John worked over several days, carefully removing years of dust and dirt. He has even been cleaning underneath the organ — a particularly horrible job, as Jenny can confirm, having crawled in there herself a couple of times!
While cleaning, John has uncovered some wonderful little pieces of history hiding amongst the dust. Also, a little insight to the workings of the church over the past century…
Graffiti – there are several names ‘written’ on the organ case on the righthand side of the organ case, near to the hand bellows lever. Apparently, it is was quite customary for boys and girls ‘volunteered’ to operate the bellows, to write their names on organs, while waiting between hymns. Just part of our social history.
Litter – beneath the floorboards, next to the right and left sides of the organ, we found piles of litter. Originally thought to be rat or mice nests, which turned out to be scrunched notelets, presumably between the Minister and the organist. Each week, these little notelets list the hymns and verses for the service, together with notes for choir rehearsals or simply a note of thanks for a service well performed by the organist. We presume the organist, once finished with the note, has simply scrunched it up and thrown it to the corner of the organ – not realising it has fallen into the void beneath the organ – for us to discover decades later.
Other discoveries have included old sheet music, coins, matches, cigarette packets, service
sheets and a collection of hymn books over the decades! Each little treasure gives us a glimpse into the people who have used and cared for the church and its organ over the years.
Discoveries:
Whilst the organ casement is clearly visible – its inner workings are well concealed behind a beautifully crafted set of ornate Mahogany and Oak panels. Many of these panels have remained in place simply as a result of gravity, a couple of well positioned dowels and skilled cabinet making. After over a century, the case panels remain square and parallel. Testimony to the skilled craftsmen and women who built the organ.
As noted above, the organ has a set of manually operated bellows (which still function). After lifting a section of flooring behind the pews, the case for the electric blower was found. More investigation revealed that the blower was a later addition to the original organ.
The 3-phase electric motor for the blower runs freely without issue. Organ builders of the time – Liddiatt & Sons installed the unit, complete with its lead sheathed cable and motor controller on June 4th 1937. From markings inside the blower compartment, we know the installers were S.M., K.W. and B.R.W.
Here we are in 2026! While the cabling has served its purpose well – it was a fire risk and has now been replaced with a new controller and cabling to meet today’s safety regulations and standards.
Church Windows – above the main (sliding) doors to the church is an arched window – similar to the arched windows along the sides of the church. While seated in the church, people can look at the windows and see the painted window frames, and all looks well. Unfortunately, the window behind the organ has been a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Whether due to difficulty accessing the window from behind the organ – or because nobody can see it from the main seating area, the arch window behind the organ was never painted and cared for as were the other church windows. As a result, the stonework has cracked, the window frame rusted and window panes cracked allowing water to damage the brickwork. Plasterwork has therefore fallen from the walls and into the organ.
The Deacons have been made aware and are looking to raise awareness and funds for reparations.
At some time in the past 100 years or so, vandals had smashed glass in the arch window. Shards of glass were found deep inside the organ. The glazier of the day had obviously repaired the window and cleared the glass he could see – but left some pieces of evidence for us to find, years later.
Did you know that the organ, (apart from the electric blower), is all mechanical? The ‘Old Girl’ has what the organ builders refer to as a ‘tracker’ system. Every key and foot pedal has a series of rods, levers, pivots and linkages that directly connect to valves and the pipes that make the sound. These rods and linkages are a combination of steel and wood rods. Linkages use graphite as a lubricant – not oil or grease which goes sticky and attracts dust.
While listening to the organist play your favourite hymns or tunes – try to imagine that each key press is moving 5 or 6 mechanical rods, some over 8 ft long, to open a valve to make the note come out of a pipe. Each of the organ stops are another series of levers and pivots – just like operating a broom handle through a hole in the wall.
A Little Bit of History
The story of the organ goes back a long way.
The present church building opened on 14 November 1864, and in 1875 galleries were erected
inside the church. The schoolroom next door, now known as the Upper Room, was under construction in 1872.
It was several years later, in 1908, that the organ was finally installed at the rear of the gallery. But getting the organ was no small undertaking. There was an extensive fundraising effort over several years, with the local community pulling together to raise the money. In the archives, there is a note that installing the organ meant removing over 30 seats / pews from the upper gallery.
There were all sorts of fundraising events, including afternoon teas, concerts with the choir and various other activities - all with the aim of raising enough money to bring an organ into the church.
And so, in 1908, after all that effort, the organ finally took its place in the rear gallery.
Over a century later, it seems rather fitting that we are now trying to give her another chance.
After years of silence, she has already surprised us by showing that she can still make a sound. Here is a summary of the organ’s history as far as we can determine:
1908
Original purchase and Installation – 1908, during the Rev. Perrott ministry. Note: The organ case
appears to be pre-owned, originally fitted to a different organ and building (sections of ornate architrave are missing. Panels show apertures for bellow levers not on this organ etc.). Organ pipes have been modified to fit within the confines of the church – suggesting that it too, was a pre-owned organ modified to fit this location and not custom built for this church. The National Pipe organ register describes the organ as:
Nice mahogany panelled case (from elsewhere?) with 3 flats, now arranged 3-9-3, filled with oversized case pipes in both diameter and height; fat outer flat pipes protrude above cornice and middle fat pipes are mitred back below the triangular pediment; other front pipes can be glimpsed through casework; [Have front pipes been rescaled or an earlier case been put around another organ?]; case pipes painted a light grey with gold bay leaf mouths; case has been slightly extended backwards by one plank but stands forward of the back wall slightly;
Pedal
Key action Tr Stop action Me Compass-low C Compass-high f1 Keys 30
Stop Pitch
1 Bourdon 16 Ft
Great
Key action Tr Stop action Me Compass-low C Compass-high g3 Keys 56
Stop Pitch
2 Open Diapason 8ft
3 Stopd Diapason 8ft btm 12 notes
4 Clarabel 8ft TC
5 Dulciana 8ft
6 Harmonic Flute 4ft
Swell
Key action Tr Stop action Me Compass-low C Compass-high g3 Keys 56 Enclosed
Stop Pitch
7 Gedact 8ft
8 Gamba 8ft
9 Oboe 8ft
10 Tremulant
Details
Blowing electric and hand
Accessories
• 2 iron composition pedals each to Swell and Great;
• Lever ratchet Swell Pedal on RHS;
Further information
• 2012 - organ in need of a clean and overhaul
• organ reported as very little used, if at all
1937
3-phase Electric Blower, Supplied by J.H. Taylor, 37 Severn Street Leicester, installed 4th June 1937
by Liddiatt & Sons.
24th October 1986
Organ tuned – K. Jones
11th December 1987
Organ tuned & adjusted – K. Jones
29th April 1989
Organ tuned – K. Jones
10th September 1990
Organ tuned – K. Jones
1st September 1992
Organ tuned – K. Jones
17th March 1994
Organ tuned – K. Jones
9th October 1995
Tremulant Top ‘G’ issue reported. Organ tuned as far as condition will allow! The Tremulant appears to be working perfectly – K. Jones
21st April 1998
Organ tuned – K. Jones
28th May 1999
General tuning – K. Jones
29th June 2001
Organ tuned – K. Jones
24th June 2002
Organ tuned – K. Jones
22nd June 2009
Organ tuned. NA using the great (lower manual) is causing the action to seize up. I have freed treble F as it was cyphering during tuning. – K Jones
15th November 2009
Organ tuned through - (name illegible) Possibly Garry Turner (business card found in the organ)
2012
Organ registered as ‘working’ on the National Pipe Organ Register. See https://npor.org.uk/survey/K01212
Use and care of the organ dropped off - until....
** 2026 **
Organist played music on the organ - 18th July 2026. The organ works!! Application made to Pipe-Up - 19th July 2026 for a grant under the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ scheme.
24th July 2026
John makes a start exploring and vacuuming the organ
27th July 2026
Cleaning the foot pedals – organist lost many pencils between the pedals. Start to clean the void beneath the organ
29th July 2026
More clearing of debris from the rear of the organ. Found shards of glass within the organ from a broken window. Cleared the rest of the crawl space beneath the organ. Found the electric contactor and isolator for the organ blower.
3rd August
Removed sections of flooring to reveal the blower and motor. Condemned the wiring as a fire risk! The insulation on the 3-phase (440vAC) wiring was brittle and perished. Deacons approved costs for a new controller.
8th August
Motor wiring replaced with new steel-wire armoured cable. Replacement motor contactor installed.
17th August
Organ blower start/stop buttons replaced with modern alternatives. Cleaned the keyboard.
21st August
More general cleaning. Did a WhatsApp video call with George at Pipe-Up regarding some queries he had with the organ. It was nice to be able to remove covers and show him live, several technicalities. It is sounding good that the grant application is going in our favour. Did some carpentry to make fitting the panel above the keyboard much easier to fit / manage.
24th August
‘Feeding’ and polishing the pedals. Added Asbestos labelling to some derelict fuse boards located beneath the organ.
2nd September
Email received – the grant has been approved!! Daly Organs of Worcestershire have been asked to attend and fix and much as they can in the time available under the scheme.
5th September
Woodworm treatment to the rear of the organ / upper gallery flooring and seating areas.
11th September
More washing and general cleaning of the case. Working at height – that’s a very tall organ!
12th October
Fed the organ case right side and front with a restorative mix (1/3 Meths, 1/3 Turpentine, 1/3 Linseed Oil). The wood looks much better for a feed. Soon she will shine – then sing!
Watch this space… there is life in the Ol’ girl yet!