Christ Church placed an order with Father Henry Willis in 1897 for this 2-manual instrument. The organ was installed in 1898 (the same year as the famous Father Willis organ in Lincoln Cathedral). Henry Willis & Sons were contacted recently by the church who were considering the proper care and maintenance of this fine instrument. We were delighted to welcome this organ back into the fold and have carried out cleaning and overhauling together with extensive works treatment to the Swell Soundboard and some damaged pipework.
The undercloth
of the Swell
had been extensively
bled to alleviate
murmurs & runnings
Unsteady Pallets
The leather covering the
"Boated Pallets" has shrunk & is black with 112 years' dirt and the iron wires & pins are rusted
The Soundboard Table is stripped
down which reveals splits in the table that cause the runnings between notes
The Grid
prepared for
flooding with glue
Fitted with new
undercloth and
phosphor bronze pins
The Table is blacked and
the Bearers re-instated
and papered
The Pallets have been re-covered with felt and leather and the Soundboard is re-assembled
Flue pipes suffering from rough handling which has caused compressed tips and rackboard damage
The damaged pipes following repair
Similarly the reeds were suffering from mishandling and the effects of time
The reeds after rounding out and remaking
The keyboards following overhaul
Re-piecing the Pedalboard