The Organ

The organ was designed to fit into the space at the foot of the tower and voiced to match the acoustics of St James church. It was manufactured and installed by J Housley Adkins in 1954 for £600:00, a sum that also included a 20year guarantee!

Specification:

Stops

Coupler

8. Manual to pedal

Accessories

Stops 2,3,4,and 5 are enclosed in a swell box operated by a balanc

ed crescendo pedal situated centrally over the pedal clavier. An electric blower is fitted to provide air to the organ.

Construction

The console, desk and fittings are constructed from oak. The Drawstops and burnishing are also of oak and fitted in the jambs on either side of the console. The pedals and pedal frame is of birch and built to be radiating and concave to a scale (spacing) that was approved by the Royal College of Organists at the time. The soundboards are constructed with a mixture of mahogany and pine. The Reservoir was designed to have the largest rise possible whilst mounted internally to ensure steadiness of sound. It has stout wooden frames and a deep well, inverted ribs with flax web hinges, and double leathered with white sheepskin. The casework is also of oak and contains a front display of pipes comprising the lower pipes of the open diapason in what was described as a ‘speaking front’.

Artistic Voice

The manufacturer set up the instrument to be artistically voiced to suit the acoustic properties of the building such that each stop has an individual and characteristic tone developed on orthodox lines. The whole sound was regulated and balanced in tone from the softest stop to a brilliant full organ that was tuned to the New Philharmonic Pitch of 522 vibrations per second at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Further Information

You may wish to look at An Encyclopaedia of Organ Stops, where a detailed explanation of the terms describing the voices above may be found.