Hillie2412

Stop lettering   I’ve already told you about all my lovely new pipes, and how my console once again looks (almost) as it did 109 years ago   But I’ve not said anything about any new stop-heads on the console, so what has happened?   Back in 1911, Mr William had to leave out many important pipes.   For 109 years I’ve been incomplete.   But he did leave stumps in the right place on my console jambs for the missing stop heads when added at a later date, but I have to say this did look a bit ugly   Mr William’s foresight has helped Mr Gary and his men, for the stumps have become new shanks, with new stop heads telling my organists what to expect when they are pulled out   But the questions they had to answer were these.   What style of lettering should be used on my new stop heads?   Should my more faded 1911 stop heads be re-engraved?   Should Mr William’s spelling of my stops remain, or become more modern   The...

Let’s talk trunks   Trunks and wind might not sound particularly exciting, but when your double risers and electric blowers are all moved around, this becomes a most important subject   In 1911, Mr William connected my blowing mechanism to 3 double risers and those were then connected to my windchests.   A whole series of zinc trunks made those connections   But with the passage of time, my trunks became rather the worse for wear.   Their bends began to leak (you can imagine straight trunks are a very good idea, but in practice bends are essential) but old newspaper stuffed in saved the day.   Joins too become a bit brittle, but drawing pin fixes have proved invaluable in keeping me going   After all these years, and now with my lower regions completely reshaped, my trunks too have therefore had to be given attention by Mr Gary   He told me that in these modern times, u-bends and black plastic pipes can be very effective. ...

 As you know, dear friends, Mr William realised that my pedal division needed more weight, but in all my 109 years, it is the pedal division that has been the weakest   All that is about to change   Two missing ranks of pipes are a violone stop, and a cello stop.   Now in my youth I was very familiar with both of these stops, and Mr William was very fond of them.   They should be made from wood, and with a slight stringy sound so that they add colour to the heavier sounds coming from the other pedal pipes.   Mr Gary has just the right pipes to give me a violoncello stop, and a new friend Mr Jeffrey has made an octave of beautiful wooden pipes to give me the much needed violone sound.   These pipes are heavy, and I think there will have to be a team of people to lift the largest 12 pipes up to the highest part of my new platform   Mr William also intended me to have a row of trombone pipes, which he would have made from wood.   Aga...

 You might now be wondering how all my new and old bits fit together, and how easy it will be to get around my insides   Mr William must have been slim, and a mountaineer even, for he left some rather narrow ladders to get up to the top of my swell box   -   the shape of which is like a “bonnet” with sloping top-sides designed not as a slide (too high up of course) but to focus sound     Mr Stephen is busy making new ladders and access arrangements.   The additional platform is just where quite a high ladder used to take tuning people up to my platform, so new steps are needed.   And I’m told that nowadays there are much stricter rules about safety and access, and so I need rightly to be brought up to date   New handrails too are being installed, and right at the top of some of the biggest pipes.   One of these rails is to be made from my old wind pump, apparently discovered in my basement area, completely covered by dust and...

  What about my lovely pipes   Well here the news gets even better   Most of my pipes were made by Mr William 109 years ago in his workshop.   Of course, as I keep saying, he meant to make more, but my Abbey didn’t have enough money for all the work to be done in one go.   It’s only taken 109 years for that to happen   All my 109 year old pipes are back in position   -   yes every single one!   But they do look different.   Gone is the dust, the battered look at the rather sad rusting tuning slides.   They are all clean   -   sparkling even   -   and shiny, and look just as good as they did 109 years ago after Mr William brought them here   Some other pipes were added   -   in 1937, 1945 and 1958.   Mr Gary says that all of these pipes are good, many of them also made by Mr William or his company, and all these too are now back in position, all looking shiny and wonderful ...

So what has happened to my console?   But I must first tell you how sad I have been for many years   I am very fond of all the lovely people who have played my keyboards.   And I know that its been a long time since Mr William made those keys, and covered them in ivory.   But I do have to admit they were looking a bit grubby and a bit worn in places, despite my asking all my friends to have clean hands and not to bang the keys down too firmly.   Something did need to be done   Damage had also been done by people sticking things on to my wood fascia.   In 1921, a hole was cut for a switch to the new electric blower   -   well I suppose it had to go somewhere, and those choristers really were fed up with having to keep me supplied with air (it must have been such hard work).   When that had to be replaced, of course the new switch was a different size, so a hole was left!   And many years ago, one of my organist friends de...

 Dear friends   I’m sorry to have been so vague in my recent message to you.   But this old lady is now right up to speed, and very excited………………………………..   I have grown a new platform   -   Mr Gary and that nice Mr Stephen call it a mezzanine   - and it has two floors   Somehow Mr Gary has managed to lift up my basement air systems and put them higher up on the first floor level of the mezzanine.   Now it would be in poor taste for me to describe my wind systems in too much detail, but I can say that my double rises were more than a little leaky, and rather taking up too much room near the old stone floor.   So these are now high in the air and out of the way, and very smart they are too with new white leather hinges to make sure everything is working properly   The second floor of this lovely new platform is going to be home for some new pipes, which I will tell you about soon   But why am I so excited? ...

  I must have fallen asleep   -   now what’s been going on?   Still in the same place, obviously, but something feels different   I can see it’s now 2021, so I’m coming up to 110 years old in September.   I now know I’ve been sleeping for 10 months (yaaawn   -   it was so nice)   Something feels different, so let me check around my limbs to see what’s happening.   Perhaps I’d better see if nice Mr Gary is around to ask   …………………………………………………………………………..   That’s better.   Now where was I?   Well I have found out that Mr Gary has been so busy, bringing all my lovely pipes back to tip top shape, and even adding some new ones   But where are those new pipes?   I know that Mr William always intended me to have some more trumpety pipes, some of which were to be very large (because I sit in such a large building) but these were never installed.   He was also going to give me some ver...