What about my lovely pipes?

 

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

 

But there are some newcomers too.  I’ve told you about the missing trumpety pipes.  Well, the really fantastic news, is that pipes have been given to my Abbey from a well-known generous church in London, from an organ also originally made my Mr William or his family and some of which is even older than me

 

Clever Mr William left a big hole for three trumpety ranks of pipes, and that hole has now been filled.  These pipes sound faaaantastic!  I can’t wait to show them off.  Some people tell me they are bright and beefy enough to be French (mmm), but as long as they are as Mr William intended, I will be delighted to make them sound

 

Some other pipes have been given to us by the London church.  There is a row of large wooden pipes even older than my other pipes, and a whole series of pedal pipes that are huge and look as if they might have come from a water works somewhere.  My Gary tells me these will softly rumble, and add depth  -  I just hope they’re screwed in tightly because they are jolly high up!!

 

And there are more pipes to come  -  which I tell you about nearer the time

 

One last bit of complicated technical news.  I’ve told you that my wind is in better order now……………but haven’t talked about how much of it there is.  Mr Gary now knows that I wasn’t at my best before he took me apart, as he found out that I was definitely below par on the pressure front.  By adding all the necessary weights to my double risers, I’m apparently now at the right pitch.  I’m now sure about any of that  -  I just try and do my best  -  but if Mr Gary has found a way of making me sound even better, then I’m all for it!



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