Organ builders claimed moving  the organ would enrich the church

It was Durham organ builders Harrison and Harrison Ltd (still trading) who recommended the moving and complete reconstruction of the instrument to where the Upper Room is now in the tower.

They visited in January 1947 - no mean feat considering the weather - suggesting to vicar H Douglas Barton that the tonal effect of the organ was weak, “partly due to overcrowding, as the swell organ has no opportunity to speak out into the church.”Furthermore, “the front of the swell box is too close to the back of the choir box, and the shutters open to the east (ie, towards the wall).

Small scaling and inadequate wring were also cited for the weakness. Their price of £348 including purchase tax would take care of that. Their surveyor added: “But I would like to suggest that the real needs is for the organ to be reconstructed entirely, perhaps as a two-manual only.
"This would ensure that its two major faults of overcrowding and small scaling would be overcome and the tonal quality greatly improved.

"The opportunity would then be taken to give adequate speaking room to all pipework and adequate access to all parts both for tuning and regular maintenance.

“Were it not for the stained glass window in the west wall of the tower, and I expect there may be strong objections to covering it, I would propose that the organ be rebuilt in the tower. It could well be placed on a floor built in on the level of the top of the present screen.

“The problem of the window may not be as great as it may appear, but to put the organ in such a position would be well worth doing, as the tonal effect would be beyond comparison with the present instrument, and with a new case the church would be enriched with a fine article of furniture.”

He added it would be a considerable undertaking. The correspondence was then forgotten, and when it was found, the opportunity was gone - the space was taken up by the building of the Upper Room in the 1980s.

Back to main page