The Organ

The organ by Roger Pulham, is built in the style of Father Smith, has 650 pipes and is housed in an attractive oak case carved with Kentish hops and acorns.

Design:

The complete organ including casework, specification, tonal design and pipe scaling is built in the style of Father Smith. Known as ‘Father’ because he was regarded as the father of English Organ Builders, Bernard Smith was probably of German descent and lived for a while at Hoorn in North Holland during the time that Charles II was in exile there during the Commonwealth. Some time following the Restoration, Smith arrived in England and eventually became the King’s Organ Maker. Prior to this he was engaged on the organ at the Grote Kerk in Edam, which today is the only known example of his work left in mainland Europe.

Before 1660, the majority of organs in England, which were mostly in cathedrals and wealthy churches, had been demolished by a radical puritan element. It was Smith, together with his rivals the Harris family, who set the foundations of organ building in this country as we now know it. However most of Smith’s work has not survived in its original form, and today in England there remain but two or three chamber organs possibly by Smith and only one other larger instrument attributed to him. His importance therefore cannot be over- emphasized.

The case has been designed as a reversed chair organ, the keyboard being situated behind the case, allowing the player a view towards the east window. The instrument is in a gallery above the entrance to the vestry tower at the west end of the nave, where there is evidence of a previously existing gallery. The organ is thus ideally situated for both congregational and concert use.

Specification:

Manual: FFF - g (omitting FFF sharp)          62 notes

Prestand	8'	from AA sharp	(D)
Stopt Diapason	8'		(P)
Quintadena	8'	from EE	(PD)
Principall	4'	from CC	(D)
Nason	4'	Treble and Bass	(PD)
Quinta	2 2/3'	Treble and Bass	(D)
Fflagelott	2'	Treble and Bass	(D)
Tierce	1 3/5'	Treble and Bass	(D)
Ffurniture	II		(D)
Crum Horne	8'	Treble and Bass	(G)
Shaking stop

 

Pedals: CC - f (30 notes)          Permanently coupled to manuals

English Oak Case         650 pipes

Pitch: A 440     Equal Temperament

Builder:     Roger Pulham

Consultant: Paul Hale, MA, FRCO, ARCM

 

Pipework:

P= Roger Pulham

D = T Davies of Leeds

G = Carl Giesecke & Sohn of Gottingen

Gallery and vestry access constructed by S Smith and Sons (Builders) Ltd.

Design by Roger Pulham and John Whittaker and Associates.

Organ and Gallery polished by Graham Burbage, Waterloo Commercial Wood Finishers.
Further tonal adjustments were carried out by Martin Cross, Church Organ Builders, Grays, Essex