The Organ in Spalding Parish Church

It is thought that there may have been some kind of small pipe organs in Spalding Parish Church since the 1300s when an organ builder Robert Organer lived in Spalding, but there are no records of these instruments.

The first photographs and drawings that survive show an organ on a balcony at the West end of the church in the 1800s - possibly installed by Donaldson of York in 1812, but no records can confirm this. The interior of the church was extensively altered in the Restoration of 1866, and presumably this organ was removed or destroyed at this time.

In a Dictionary of Organs and Organists (1921) there is the following entry for SS Mary & Nicolas:

Organ built 1870 by Hill; 3 manuals; 34 speaking stops, 4 couplers, tracker action, hand blown.

According to following plan of the church, the organ was sited in the 'Organ Chapel' - now the Choir Vestry. I recall Albert Clark mentioning that the organ used to be hand blown - and that at least two people at a time were needed to pump the bellows.

These two Organ Recital programmes give slightly more information about this 1970s organ by Hill.

Notes inside the programme of an organ recital by Haydn Chester at Spalding Parish Church on December 5th 1921 - possibly penned by Haydn himself read as follows:-

The present organ embodies at least two previous instruments and was rebuilt by Hill & Son about 1870.

It is contained in the most modern part of the church - in a not too advantageous position for sound.

There are three manuals and pedal organ. Stops as follows:- Great Organ 11 stops / Swell 10 / Choir 9 and Pedal 3 - giving a total of 33 speaking stops, in addition to couplers and tremulant.

The organ contains roughly 1600 pipes.

The swell organ only speaks down to Tenor C and is an anachronism.

The action is the old fashioned tracker system and the wind supply is maintained by two bellows - one acting for the pedal pipes and the other for the remainder of the organ. This necessitates two blowers being in attendance.

According to the Dictionary of Organs, this organ is one of the most antiquated for its size in the Kingdom and requires dramatic overhauling. Pneumatic action throughout, the completion of the swell organ by the addition of its lower octave and mechanical blowing are badly needed - and the question as to whether the organ fulfils its purpose adequately in its present position would have to be considered.

These improvements would need expenditure of at least £2000 - but it is hoped the matter may soon be taken in hand and an organ installed which may be worthy of our magnificent church.

All proceeds from the organ recital were donated to choir funds.

*****

From the above notes it sounds like Haydn was trying to persuade others that a new organ was urgently required - but it would take another seven years before a new organ was installed!

The 1928 Rushworth and Dreaper Organ

In my opinion it is unlikely that any pipes from the 1970s organ by Hill were used in the building of the 1928 organ by Rushworth & Dreaper.

In 1928 Rushworths installed the organ on the North side of the Chancel, behind the choirstalls, with the pipes behind the arch (partly in the choir vestry). The large two-stage Rockingham organ blower was sited outside the church on the south side of the chancel in a small courtyard area - which is now the Clergy vestry. A large 16" duct conveys the air from the blower, under the chancel, and into the organ. This 1928 organ blower is still giving good service today!

The 1928 organ was entirely pneumatic - meaning that once the electric blower had produced the air, all the intricate workings worked on air pressure - operating small valves often covered with a very fine sheepskin (usually referred to in organ building as 'leather').

The organ gave excellent service until the late 1960s when parts began to fail. Further information about this can be found below in the 1971 brochure, and for those that are technically minded even more information and photographs will be found in Section 29 - Organ Building

The late 1960s

As the workings of the 1928 organ began to wear out, various repairs were made - but by 1970 it became apparent that a major rebuild was inevitable.

The temporary 'Ardeton' organ

When the 1928 pipe organ finally became unusable, Rushworth & Dreaper installed a temporary pipe organ, sited between the lectern and the screen. Although this was not a very versatile instrument, it served its purpose and enabled the choral tradition in the church to continue.

The Organ Appeal

The cost of the rebuild was to be in the region of £20,000 and the money had to be raised. Brochures were printed and sent out throughout the town explaining the project in detail, and appealing for donations.

The 1971 Organ Appeal - pages from the brochure below ..

The newly rebuilt 1972 Organ

When the organ restoration was finished, it was re-dedicated on Sunday 23rd April 1972. Those of us who were there will remember the magnificent sound of the organ - following a year using the temporary Ardeton organ.

Minor alterations in 1990

In 1990, after talking with the Diocesan Organ Advisor, I decided to make one or two minor alterations to the organ, as a couple of the new ranks of pipes added in the 1972 rebuild really did not blend well with the original 1928 pipework. The Choir Dulciana was replaced with a String Diapason; the Swell 2ft Block Flute was replaced with a 2ft Fifteenth; The Swell 4-rank Mixture was quietened, and the Choir Mixture replaced with a Larigot 1 1/3 set of pipes. At the same time the Choir tremulant was removed, and the stop replaced with a Choir Octave coupler.

Repairs in 1995

It became apparent in 1995 that certain parts of the organ had not been fully releathered in the 1972 rebuild by Rushworth & Dreaper. Some of the internal leather motors (very small bellows) had not actually been releathered, and now this work needed doing. The choir, swell and great sections were dismantled one at a time and the 61 internal motors removed and releathered. (These motors pull down the pallet or valve to let air into the pipes above.)

The thumb piston selector switches had become unreliable, and so a new Piston Capture System was supplied by Solid State Logic Limited, and I installed this at the rear of the console, above the staircase - in place of the selector switches (which had been located in the drawer above the keyboards).

Work following the Fire Extinguisher incident

Following the fire extinguisher incident, the architect insisted that the entire organ should be dismantled, and every one of the 3000 pipes cleaned - together with all surfaces and workings. With the help of volunteers all the pipes were removed from the organ, and the majority boxed up and sent to the pipe makers at Leeds for cleaning and checking. The rest of the cleaning work was carried out on site. Once the entire church building had been cleaned, and the organ pipes reinstated, the organ was as clean as it could ever be once again.

Leaking roof

Following a few occasions when water has leaked in over the North Transept Aisle - over the 'Great' section of the organ I decided it would be advisable to install a protective canopy over that part of the organ. Using money left to the organ fund by Jennifer Chappell, Stricksons constructed a canopy, which blends in well with the existing green fretwork. This will hopefully prevent any further damage, should the roof leak again.

The remainder of Jennifer's legacy was spent on a handrail up to the organ loft - something which all organists have found most useful.

The future ...

At the present time the organ is in very good condition. The 1970s Solid State Action has occasional faults but thankfully, due to the simplicity of its design, components (diodes, transistors and resistors) are easily replaceable. There may come a time when a more modern transmission system is desirable, as this 1970s type of Solid State system is now quite old-fashioned.

The only other area for possible concern are the electro-magnetic solenoids - one for each note. These have a tendency to become sluggish, and eventually stick on (or off), and once this has happened there is nothing that can be done to reverse the problem. Organ builders and solenoid manufacturers have all come to the conclusion that once this has happened the faulty items have to be replaced. Fortunately, to date, there are only two out of the 500 or so solenoids that have required replacing. Replacing these is relatively easy, whereas access to some of them is very difficult ...