How old am I really?


How old am I really?

Dear friends, you know that I was installed by Mr William in 1911.  The pipes for my bottom keyboard were added a year later and various other missing pipes appeared during the 1930s and 1940s.

But do I have older-still pipes?

This is one of my innermost secrets, one that I know Mr Gary hopes to unravel this year.

The Abbey had its first organ in 1806.  This was built by John Gray, who was probably the finest builder of his day.  This organ had two keyboards, a few pedal notes (pedals were still uncommon in England at that time) and 797 pipes.  The Gray organ seems initially to have been built into a gallery under the tower at the west end of the building, but then moved at least twice.  By 1883 it was in the south east corner of the Abbey which, at that time, had yet to be extended to the East.  By 1891, once the new Chancel has been built, it had been moved to my present position, and recently found photographs prove that to be the case.

Mr William has a note in his 1911 order book that “available pipes from the old organ” were to be retained, and obviously the Gray organ had to be dismantled before I was installed. 

Did Mr William use some of the old organ Gray pipes? Do any of my lovely 1911 pipes actually date back to 1806?

Mr Gary and Mr Nigel are intrigued and keen to find out.  So as my pipes are all taken out this coming Easter, they will be scrutinising everything carefully for clues.

This is for me to know and you to find out!    


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer madness

Image
Summer madness Well I thought I'd heard it all, but obviously I haven't One of my lovely organists today is going to start a two week cycle ride, the length of the whole country, to raise money for my renovation and new pipes.  Wow! I'm told he's going from South to North  -  not sure why, but then I've never been on a bike  -  and will play 4 organs on the way.  He's playing my keys here in the Abbey next Thursday evening All my followers can easily check on his progress.  He's obviously seen how modern I can be and is going to keep a Blog  -  just like I do  -  and put photographs on something called Instagram How good is that!  And I do hope he will be able to raise lots of money for the work that I need to be done Now, Dear Follower, what are you going to do to raise £££s for me?
Read more

A book about me!

Image
A book about me! Yes, I’m going to be even more famous than I already am, because there is soon going to be a book about me! Because of all the work that there’s going to be next year, Mr Nigel has looked into dusty files and envelopes to see what he can find out about Mr William’s plans and the changes that have been made since I was installed in 1911 He’s even found out a little more about the old organ that was in this lovely building for the 105 years before me.   Now here’s a secret, and I’m not telling (yet!).   As you know, Mr William called me 2412.   That’s my official Job Number, and I know that because it’s stamped on to my timbers in various places.   Mr William said that he would re-use some pipes from the older organ when he made me.   I’m the only one that knows whether or not he was able to do that, but next year, my secret will be revealed But other secrets are no longer quite so secret.   In a vault in the nearby Cadbury library (I thought Cadbury ju
Read more

Wind (not a repeat!)

Image
Wind (not a repeat!)   I have already told you about wind, the sort that is used by my lovely pipes to make music   And I have told you about the massive reservoirs used to store wind before it flows through to my pipes.   These huge heavy chests, with hinged sides and floating tops, were carefully built by Mr William in 1911 and have survived all these years, just getting dirtier every year that’s past, and with their leather hinges increasingly having to be patched up   Three of the reservoirs are huge, and the fourth more of a baby size.   They have all been lifted down, and all four have gone for restoration.   This took a lot of heaving, and Mr Gary was fortunate to have such strong henchpeople on hand   Two of the reservoirs went with Mr Edward to his workshop, and the other two have gone to Mr Dave in East London.   Great progress is being made and soon these reservoirs will come back to my Abbey, to be hoisted high up into new positions, and the trunks from the
Read more