|
Christ Church’s Historic Walker Organ
|
|
Part 2: The Original 1886 Walker organ
|
|
The original specification of the organ can still be seen, written in immaculate copperplate handwriting in Walker’s order book.
Other eminent firms such as Lewis (a fine Victorian builder of the time but alas no longer in existence) and Willis had been invited to tender,
but J W Walker & Sons got the contract. The total cost was £1,049 5s. with money mostly raised from a Grand Bazaar held at Claremont, Esher,
under the patronage of the Duchess of Albany, and offset by £150 which Walker’s paid for the old ‘inferior’ organ.
|
|
The 1886 instrument had tubular pneumatic action to provide the links between the keyboards and the pipes: the console (with three manuals and
a pedal board) was positioned underneath the organ on the cantoris (north) side of the chancel, with the organist (Mr Pearson, FCO) seated
with his back to the choir.
|
|
Originally, the organ pipes were highly decorated in Victorian gothic designs with rich gold, red and blue colours. Sadly the pipes were sprayed
a dull gold colour at a later date, probably in the sixties, making it appear rather dull compared to how it must have looked in 1886. A
sepia-toned picture of the organ still exists, showing the original decorated pipes and design (but obviously not the colours). Happily,
the pipes have since been
redecorated as a memorial to Richard Coulson, Director of Music 1969-2006
(see Part 7: The redecoration of the pipes).
|
|
In 1919, a magnificent pedal trombone stop was added and then in 1930, just forty-four years after its initial construction, the organ was
completely rebuilt, using all the original pipe work. The organist at that time was Montague Phillips FRCO FRAM, a well-known composer
and conductor and professor at the Royal Academy of Music. He lived in Clare Hill and had no less than five first performances at the
Henry Wood ‘Prom’ concerts, and was a friend of ‘Prom’ conductor Sir Malcolm (‘Flash Harry’) Sargent. He was also Organist of Christ Church
for thirty-eight years (from 1908 to 1946).
|
|