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Upper Pipework |
Console |
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| Specification Great |
Swell |
Couplers
Compass: 56 notes CC to G'', Pedal: 30 notes CCC to F
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The organ was originally build in 1884 by Hele & Co. Ltd. of Plymouth. The cost being £500 plus £100 for the oak case. Apart from regular tuning, it served the church well until 1949 when it was cleaned. Nothing further was done to it until 1962 when the instrument was cleaned again, overhauled and augmented. It was during this overhaul that the old Gt Harmonic Flute (4') was replaced by the Twelfth (2 2/3') and the old Sw Oboe (8') replaced by the 3-rank Mixture. The old ratchet Sw pedal was replaced by a balanced pedal and a new radiating, concave pedal board was substituted for the old gridiron. The whole of the manual tracker action was overhauled, as was the stop action. However, the Pedal tracker action, being too badly worn to overhaul, was replaced by a pneumatic action. The blower, which was previously located outside the case, was moved inside after the removal of the hand-blowing mechanism. The new Sw Mixture was given by the Hon. Mrs. H W Mildmay-White in memory of her mother, and the Gt Twelfth was given by Tom & Phyllis Rogers in memory of their father. The whole of this work was carried out by Hele & Co., the original builders. In 1970, the Gt Trumpet was revoiced, fitted with French shallots, and the Harmonic Trebles and the old Gt 3-rank Mixture was replaced by the present Mixture. Both of these stops were given by the Hon. Mrs. H W Mildmay-White in memory of her late husband. This has resulted in a much greater brilliance to the Gt organ. The work was again carried out by Hele & Co. In 1984, the organ was showing further signs of wear, particularly in the stop action and it was decided to replace it with a more modern action. At the same time, the manual tracker action was restored. The work was entrusted to Hele & Co. and carried out during Lent 1984. The tracker action and roller-boards were re-bushed and overhauled, the keyboards overhauled and the Gt & Sw soundboards fitted with lighter gauge pallet springs. The pedal board needed overhaul but was replaced new as this was less costly than refurbishment. The drawstop action was removed and discarded and a new drawstop mechanism, controlled by solenoid units, was installed. This resulted in a greater degree of flexibility of combination control. In October 2003, the Vox Celeste (8 foot) rank was removed from the Swell Box and replaced with a 15th (2 foot) rank and the intervals on the Mixture re-tuned. The pistons are adjusted by the 3-position method with switches being positioned above the stop-jambs on either side of the console. This makes it comparatively easy for the player to alter the switch positions, during a service for example. The organ is now much more adaptable to differing registration requirements than before this latest restoration. |
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