St Bride's Episcopal ChurchKelvinside, Glasgow

A priceless heritage...

... built by William Hill in 1865

Organ Restoration Appealwww.stbride.org.uk

Foreword

Music has a very special place in the life of StBride's. Our services on Sundays and other FeastDays are in most part sung, and we host a range ofconcerts, recltals and community events. In all this,our wonderful and historic Hill organ plays a central

part. But now over 150 years old. it needs someurgent help, to which this appeal is directed`

I hope you will find the contents of this brochure inspiring in at leastthree respects: First. the craftsmanship of the organ builders and allthose entrusted with the instrument's care; secondly, the dedicationand commitment of our team to restoring the organ to its original

glory; and thirdly, the desire of all concerned to continue to use theorgan in our worship, to enrich the lives of the community, and bring

joy to music lovers everywhere.

please join us and contribute to this great project!

Fr Kevin Francis, Rector of St Brido's

I am delighted to suppon the restoratlon of the Hillorgan at St Bride's (Scottish Episcopal) Church.Glasgow. I have had a long acquaintance with thisinstrument stretohing back to the 1940s, when myfather was organist at Anderston-St Mariin'sChurch of Scotland. The organ was installed therein 1865. Sadly the church was demolished in1969, but very happily the organ was re-installed

in its present situation, where it now enhances the churoh`s liturgyand acts as a notable recital instrument. The years have taken theirtoll on the organ. however, and much work is urgently required.Fortunately it is in very good hands, as Hamson & Harrison Lid ofDurham will carry out the work in 2017 under the very capablesupervision of Matthew Hynes,

This superb and historic instrument deserves to be lovingly restoredand. as Honorary Patron of the Appeal. I heartily endorse the projectso that future generations can enjoy the organ's unique qualities.

Dr George Mcphee MBE, Director Of Music, Paisley Abbey andHonorary Patron of the Appeal

"...an organ of a superior description..."

On Sunday 15 January 1865, the first pipe organ to be legallyinstalled and authorised for use in Divine Worship in an .Established'Church in Scotland (after the Reformation) was inaugurated at thenew parish church of St Martin's, Anderston. It was built by the

renowned London organ building firmof William Hill & Son, with theGlasgow Herald of the following dayobserving: "We may ac/d thaf an organof a superior description has beenfitted up in the building, and thisinstrument was yesterday playedupon by Mr. Lambelh." Mr Lambethhad been the organist to the GlasgowCorporation since 1853.

Minor alterations were undertaken by Harrison & Harrison ofDurham in 1882, under the direction of organist Josiah lves (laterthe City Organist of Adelaide, Australia).

ln 1968 the church (by then known as Anderston-St Peter's ParishChurch) closed, and the organ was taken into storage. It wassubsequently installed at St Bride's in 1972 by noted Glasgow organbuilder James A. MacKenzie.

Who was William Hill?

William Hill (1789-1870) was the most progressive organ builder in19th century England. Born into the genteel cultural world of

Georgian England, the organshe grew up hearing were soft,delicate instruments ofsophisticated refinement.

playing the organ with one'sfeet, common in Germany sincethe 15th century, was almostunheard of in Britain. With hisfamous organs at BirminghamTown Hall, York Minster andelsewhere, Hill was a pioneerwho dragged the English organinto the Victorian age.

Together with Henry Gauntlett (composer of 'Once in Royal David'sCity'), and thanks to the furore created by Felix Mendelssohn'sground-breaking performances of Bach's organ works on Hill'sBirmingham organ in the 1830s, he introduced the 'German System'of organ building lo Britain. The new organs had, in common withthe organs of the Continent, full pedalboards and standardisedkeyboards, allowing the performance of much organ music - notablythe works of J.S. Bach -for the first time in Britain.

Most of William Hill's organs have been lost or substantially alteredto suit the musical tastes of the times; the St Bride's organ is a raresurviving. and virtually unaltered, testament to his skill.

It is an organ not only of considerable historical interest, but also amusical instrument of outstanding quality and of national importancein its own right. In recognition of this, it has been awarded a HistoricOrgan Certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies.

What's wron with the or

• The interiorofthe organ is choked with dust. making it impossible to keep intune (see photo below).

• Water from the leaking roof (now repaired) has badly damaged the bellows,the Swell box, the Swell soundboards, the mechanical linkages to the PedalOpen Diapason stop, and some wooden pipes (see photo below left). Inaddition, the important Swell Horn stop has been rendered completelyunusable.

• The bass pipes of the swell oboe stop have mostly collapsed (see photobelow right).

The modem pedalboard fitted in 1972 is worn out and has becomeunreliable.

The key and drawstop mechanisms throughout the organ are showingsignificant wear and tear.

The Swell expression pedal does not stay fully closed.

What will the ect entail?

The organ will be dismantled and moved to the workshop ofHarrison & Harrison in Durham, for approximately 6 months.

• The pipework will be cleaned, and damaged pipes will be repaired.

• New pipes will be made to replace the collapsed bass pipes of theOboe stop.

• The bellows (12 fHong by 3 ftwide)will be completely re-leathered.

• The soundboards (on which the pipes sit) will be overhauled.

• All mechanisms (for the keyboards, pedalboard and stop controls)will be restored.

• The two stopsadded to the swell in 1972 (Fifteenth and Mixture)willbe re-voiced, and the Mixture re-composed in a manner befitting theVictorian aesthetic of the instrument.

• The modern, radiating/concave pedalboard fitted in 1972 will be

replaced by a straight/flat pedalboard faithful to the style of theOriginal.

• The consolewill be cleaned and the stop knob engravings re-filled.

• The front casework will be stripped and refinished in its originalnatural wood colour.

"As every pipe organ is completely different, it has

been said that pipe organs are rather like people:some good, some bad, some indifferent. If theglorious Hill organ now in S[ Bride's was a person, itwould be someone you'd want to be around,someone you'd want to spend a lot of quality timewith. Apart from the invaluable cultural and rlistoricwonh of the instrument -there's even a 1 gth century

Australian connection! -the major point is that it is such anincredibly beautiful and worthwhile "person". And that "person",surviving and celebrating their 150th binhday in 2015, deserves ourpraise and tangible suppon."

Thomas Heywoodlntemational Concert Organist (Ivlelboume, Australia)

How much will it cost?

The total cost of this comprehensive restoration, the first suchundertaking in the organ's lifetime, is £150,000 + VAT. Oncerestored, the organ should not require any significant work for up to100 years.

Through our own fundraising endeavours, more than half of thefunding is already in place, and we anticipate that most of the VATincurred can be reclaimed through the Listed Places of WorshipGrant Scheme.

However, this still leaves a significant financial shortfall.

How can I hel

Your donation, large or small, will help to ensure that our wonderfulorgan is able to contribute to the life of St Bride's and the widercommunity for generations to come; the organ is used extensivelyfor teaching and practice purposes by students of the RoyalConservatoire of Scotland and other musicians, and for concertsand community events. Your support will also help to safeguard apriceless musical heritage and a unique piece of Scotland's socialhistory.

onsor a PiDid you know that the oi.gan at St Bride's has no fewer than 1224pipes ranging in size from under six inches to 16 feet long? This isyour chance to adopt one or more! For each pipe you adopt, yourname will be recorded in a special book of donors and you willreceive a certificate. Alternatively, you can sponsor a pipe inmemory of a friend or relative, or as a special gift. The cost ofadopting a pipe from each stop is detailed below:

Slop PFlch (In i eel) Price per pipe

GREATOpen Diapason 8Stopped Diapason 8Dulciana 8Pnnc,pal 4Wald Flute 4Twelf[h 2 2/3Fifteenth 2Mixture I I I ranksTrumpct 8

SWELLBourdon 16Open Diapason 8Stopped Diapason 8Pnnc,palFifteenthM'xtureHamOboe

PEDALOpen DiapasonBourdon

Hoe£200caoo£100£100£50ee5£75 per note ((hree plpes)eeoo

£400£200£200£100£25

Hl ranks £75 per note (three prpe§)eeoocaoo

£400£400

To make a donation...

...please fill in the form below and send with a cheque made payableto `St Bride's Episcopal Church' to:

Mr Max Hepbum, Organ Restoration Project Officer,c/a St Bride's Episcopal Church,

69 Hyndland Road, Glasgow G12 9UX

Your details...Name:

Address:

Daytime phone:

Email:

Gift A]d d®claratioii(UK taxpayers only)

Please treat this donation as a GiftAid Donation

I confilTn that I have paid or will pay

?8#ife'an amount of Income Tax orGains Tax for each Tax YearApril to 5th April) that is at leas.Iequal to the amount of tax that allthe charities or CommunftyAmateur Sports Clubs (CASCs)that I will donate to will reclaim onmy gifts for that tax year. Iunderstand that other taxes such asVAT and Council Tax do notqualfty. I understand the charity willreclaim 25p of every £1 that I havegiven.

SIGNED:

Sponsor a Pipe

I wish to sponsor a pipe/pipes in thename of:

I wish to sponsor a pipe/pipes fromthe following stop(s):

DIVISION: (please tick)

GreatISwellIPedalIName of stop(s) .......

I do not wish this donation lo be

E]b".a/yrecorded

St Bride's Ep]scopal Church is acl`arity registered in Scotland

No. SC012625

Brochures kindly supplied and donated by J. Norman