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Christ Church’s Historic Walker Organ - A history
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Part 1: The original (Hilditch) organ
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The first organ in the Christ Church, installed when the church was built in 1854, was a small, freestanding instrument
built by the popular organ builder G H Holditch of London in the organ chamber where the present instrument now stands.
It was cleaned and tuned for the first time in 1875, the effect of which was ‘singularly to increase sweetness and mellowness of its sound’,
but by April 1885, there was considerable and persistent dissatisfaction with it: ‘it is absolutely necessary that the organ should be placed
in proper repair with as little delay as possible. It has done duty for about a quarter of a century; it was built under circumstances which
restricted the outlay of expenditure; every successive Organist has insisted that it must be taken in hand.’
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Dr Edward Hopkins (Organist of the Temple Church for 55 years and an authority on organ construction) was invited to lead a panel to
examine the organ and to report to the Esher Bazaar Committee ‘on the best way of employing the funds in the Committee’s hands, either by way of
improvement of the present organ or otherwise’, with the hope that the organ be re-opened by Easter Day. The ‘Royal’ connection was maintained by
Sir George Elvey (Organist of St George’s Chapel, Windsor), and the panel was completed by Mr Pearson (Organist of Esher Parish Church).
Sir George Elvey’s place was subsequently taken by his successor at St George’s, Mr Walter Parratt, later Sir Walter Parratt, Master of the Queen’s Musick.
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In March 1886, it was reported that ‘it has been arranged that the old organ shall be removed, and a new one built in its place, and
this arrangement only needs the full drawing out of the specification, with the approval undersigned of Dr Hopkins’. It was hoped that the
new organ would ‘be in its place in the course of the month of October’.
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