THE RESTORATION OF A G. P. ENGLAND CHAMBER ORGAN OF 1806.

The Restoration of a G. P. England chamber organ of 1806. CONTENTS Introduction Main Text of Report Appendices Appendix A Specification Appendix B Drawings of organ Appendix C A selection of photographs of the Organ Appendix D A brief analysis of the pipework

The label, which is not the original as this was lost when Noel Mander took possession of the organ.

Frontispiece: Organ as it looked before restoration. The reservoir is visible to the right hand side.

Introduction This is a domestic instrument, which has been moved around quite a bit in its life, so I will give a brief history. Its ownership has been traced back to 1834. The first person who we know owned it was Mr John Burder who lived at Codham Hall, Blackmore End, Nr Braintree, Essex. He later moved to Lewes, Sussex. It is worth noting that J.R. Rust of Chelmsford worked on the organ in 1849 and 1864 (see appendix D). The organ was then handed down through members of the family. The next owner was the Rev. R.M. Lamb who was the Vicar at Burton Pidsea, near Hull, Yorks. It came to him because of his marriage (1886) to John Burder’s daughter. The last member of the family who owned the intrument was the Vicar’s daughter, Edith M. Lamb. Mr Noel Mander took possession of the organ in 1967. Although it remained in the Mander family’s possession, it was loaned to Stephen Bicknell’s mother, who had it in her house. The organ was worked on by N. P. Mander in the 1970s (we don’t know the precise date of this work). The organ at a brief glance is unusual in two key respects. Firstly the case combines Gothic and Classical details. The cornice of the case has a strongly Grecian feel to it and has mouldings to match. The pipe front on the other hand is in a very pointy and yet delicate Gothic. At a glance the mixture might suggest that the upper and lower casework were not originally made for each other. However, looking at the details of the removable panels to the sides of the casework it is clear that it was all made togeather. The mixture of the two styles is certainly not unknown. The case of the main organ in Wymondham Abbey church also displays a complete disregard for proper Classical and Gothic precedents. The organ dates from 1794 and was the work of James Davis. The second feature which is unusual about the England organ is that the soundboard is positioned below the keys and is operated via a pin action which includes a set of very short backfalls. It seems possible that this organ was one of a few built this way. At Lamarsh, Essex, the village church of The Holy Innocents has a G.P. England organ of a similar type. It has only three stops (it has no Flute 4’) but has a similar case (but plainer) of the same general size, the keys fold up into the case and it has two shifting movements to remove the Stopped Diapason 8’ and Principal 4’. A point to notice is that the 1806 organ is of such a size that it could be easily accommodated in a fairly ordinary house as it only stands about 7’"6” (2.28 m) high. There are a good many larger domestic organs of a fairly standard type around such as the one at Petworth House in the Marble Hall. This was built by G. P. England’s father John England and could only be accommodated in a very large and grand house. The case height seems to be about 8’ 6”."If the case had included a proper cornice the height could well have increased to 9’ or so. Clearly such an organ could not be accommodated in an ordinary house.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE 2011 RESTORATION AND POINTS OF INTEREST

The following text is split under sub-headings for each aspect of the work. Casework & Internal Layout The case was generally in quite good condition but it did require minor repairs such as glueing up loose joints and patching where small pieces were missing. There was one exception. The central section of the pipefront has been repaired quite a few times. The problem is that as constructed it is held in place at the top only by the cornice. The central pipefront is, as is not uncommon for chamber organs, hinged (by means of dowels into the underside of the cornice and into the frame below) so as to allow access for tuning. So when the cornice is lifted off the organ the central pipefront tends to fall down and get damaged. So on this section of the case parts of the mouldings to the Gothic front have had to be repaired due to this problem. The case originally had two doors to cover the pipefront when the organ was not in use. These have long since disappeared. It is thought they may have been glazed as was not uncommon for house organs, following a similar pattern of doors to late 18th Century bookcases. The casework is very finely made. A good example is the frame which forms the middle of the organ is a nominal ¾” thick (18mm) but the back rail is dovetailed into the sides.

The pipefront is made of very thin timber generally which is reinforced by further bits of wood behind for the uprights and with a thick rail to top and bottom. The small inverted finials to the arches over the pipes are incredibly fine. These include a tiny groove so that they fit onto a tongue to the bottom of the arches.

Another feature of the case is that the rectangular frame which forms the middle of the case appears to have been extended forward in order to match the depth of the lower part of the case. The means by which this was achieved is also noteworthy. A board has been screwed onto the front of the frame the edges of which are profiled to match. In addition iron brackets are used to reinforce the whole thing. It has the appearance of having been altered after it was made and perhaps it was done by the organbuilder (as opposed to a cabinetmaker) who fitted together the top and the bottom parts which were of two different depths. The Lamarsh organ also appears to be deeper (from the NPOR photo) to the lower half than the top half although it is not clear how much the difference is.

Midframe with added front section (to left). Screw can just be seen to top of photo. Inside is also fitted an iron angle bracket.

The music desk has clearly been altered. Currently it fits into a newer frame in which it can be slid up and down. A hook keeps the music desk up and it can be released to allow it to slide out.

polished mahogany music desk in newer frame. The brass object in the middle is the hook which holds up the desk.

The music desk was originally permanently fixed to the narrow panel above that which opens to reveal the keyboard. It was perhaps regarded as a nuisance and therefore was moved to it current position within the organ. This work neccesitated the cutting away of much of the narrow soffit above the console opening.

Soundboard The soundboard had clearly been repaired in the 1970s. The work had been quite extensive even involving cleaning up the outside faces of the grid. At the same time new sides were added to the well. Fortunately the work didn’t lead to the discarding the label within the well. The soundboard needed flooding because the front rail was parting from the rest of the grid. In addition very thin wooden pegs were used to prevent the bars from separating from the grid sides. When the pallets were removed it could be seen quite clearly that the holes in the table had been burned as the burn marks in some cases go right through the grid.

Key Action

The key action is ingenious as it gets round the difficulties of connecting the soundboard to the keys at a higher level, whilst at the same time allowing the keys to neatly fold away into the organ case. That said the action has been subject to minor modifications as it clearly required adjustments to the positions of the backfalls and rollerboard. The bracket which supports the backfall beam is clearly a new addition from the 1970s. Even that has not proved to be right and a thin slip of wood has been added to adjust the beam. The beam also ends up having a slight downwards slope to the underside from front to back. The notes AA, BB,C#,D# and F are attached to the small rollerboard so that the pipes are on the treble end of the soundboard. Otherwise the notes are planted chromatically.

Note that the rollerboard and backfall beams as shown here are not in their proper relationship The keys have been set up with 10mm movement which moves front of pallet about 7.5mm. The keys have very elaborately inlayed cheeks.

These key cheeks are even more elaborate than those to the Danson Mansion organ. There the case, on the other hand has much more embellishment, with inlay to the drawstop jambs and carving elsewhere. Perhaps the inlayed key cheeks on the 1806 organ is a small concession to making a more decorative finish to the case which is generally quite plain. Winding

The reservoir has generally been well preserved although due to its age it has been taken apart and releathered. They are of horizontal type but are not like the usual type with a frame to the middle and two sets of ribs of opposing configurations. Here there is no middle frame and the ribs follow the same pattern with inward pointing centres to both levels. In order to make the ribs open up evenly a thin oak lever is fixed to the top of the reservoir and to the side of the case. As the reservoir inflates tapes attached to the levers pull up the lower sections of the ribs to be about equal with the top layer. Another noticeable feature of these reservoirs is the sparing use of leather. Perhaps this was due to shortages as a result of the Napoleonic wars? The inward pointing parts were fixed originally with a fabric not leather. The top and bottom of the reservoirs are made of timber glued up into wide boards but they differ in their treatment. The bottom is simply glued up planks and consequently is no longer flat. Athough even here the short integral trunk is of a finer construction having dovetailed corners. The top is made up of finer and thinner timber, than the bottom, which is made into a tongue at the ends so that it can be held together with a narrow grooved rail. Due to the dry conditions under which the organ has been kept the top and bottom have shrunk in width.

Reservoir being releathered (shown to the left). Reservoir in the organ (shown to right). The oak lever to even up the ribs when inflated is clearly visible along with the taping to pull up lower ribs.

The board that forms the bottom of the reservoir is similar in construction to that at Danson Mansion. At Danson (1776) the reservoir is of a wedge formation but the bottom is constructed as a simple board incorporating a small box to allow the wind to be fed to the soundboard via trunking. Obviously despite the 30 year difference in ages between Danson and the G.P. England organ, the techniques for bellows and reservoir construction had not changed much.

Danson Mansion reservoir bottom constructed in the same way as on the G.P. England organ. Revervoir shown upside down, the valve for the feeder is visible to the centre. Note the

box for trunking to the left. A detail which is very similar to the G.P. England organ. The corners where the ribs come together have a detail which we have not seen before. To prevent the ribs rubbing against each other they are kept apart by a folded leather packing. This is sewn in place from the outside. Perhaps this was a detail which came about due to the need for economy in the use of leather?

This detail has been replicated on the releathered reservoir. The feeders which were used to feed wind to the organ have been removed regretably. This may have taken place in the 1970s. One could see quite clearly the fanned out ends of the cord which formed the hinge of the feeder bellow. In the recent restoration provision has been made for a new feeder to be added to the organ. New hemp cord has been fitted for the hinges for a new feeder. Sometime ago, perhaps in the 1970s, the orignal waste pallet was taken out of the reservoir and screwed to the back of the case. One reason perhaps for doing this is that it enables the date and signature of James (?) Butler to be seen.

The pedal for pumping the organ has long since disappeared but there are clear indications of where it was. A hole to the front of the case for the pedal has been plugged but interestingly there is also a hole to the back of the case. The organ could be pumped from behind as well as from the front (although these arrangement may not have been working at the same time), perhaps by a servant of Mr Burder while his daughter played the intrument.

See holes to centre at back (lower part of photo) and front. Trundles on the floor for shifting movement action.

It however seem that the pedal for pumping may also at some point have been on the bass end of the organ as there is another plugged hole. At a later date the winding arrangement was altered by cutting a slot to the back panelling. At first it wasn’t clear what this was for. A steel bar was found which fits to the top of the reservoir the end of which is bent and covered in red felt. This slides up and down in the slot and indicates how much wind there is.

It appears that the current arrangement for the winding via a blower dates from the 1970s. The blower has a flexible trunk which is attached to a metal trunking fitted to the reservoir, for which hole has been made to the middle of the back of the organ. Shifting Movement action There are two pedals for this. As is normal they move an addition slide to the soundboard. The sildes sit one on top of another and there are no additional upperboards. This differs from the arrangement on other organs. At Danson (1776 organ by George England) five stops sit on a complete separate grid fed by a slide controlled by the shifting action pedal. Elsewhere at Kedleston Hall (ca 1740-50) there is another example which has a second grooved upperboard (for Open and Sesquialtera). Presumably there was no need for any of these things because it was easier to make with each relevant slide being operated by the pedal. The left hand pedal moves the right hand one in addition to moving the slide of the Dulciana 8’. The shifting action is at present kept taut by springs. Originally it is likely that it would have had weights to operate the action. It is of interest that the actual pedal is a separate part from the trundle to which they are connected.

Toe pedal part (to left) the trundles with slot for pedals (to right). Photo below shows the trundles. which move the additional slides. The upper trundle cuts out thePrincipal 4’ and Flute 4’.The lower one cuts out the Stopped Diapason 8’and a connection elsewhere at the sametime operates the upper trundle.

Conclusion

The organ which is the subject of this study is an unusal instrument. We have previously mentioned Danson Mansion which has a very large organ with ten drawstops, built by George England. It stands about 14’ or more high. A more typical chamber organ is that was built at Petworth House (1786) by John England (G.P. England’s Father who he suceeded). This appears to be about 8’ 6” high and is of a format which was much replicated in other 18th Century chamber organs, with a large oval display of pipes to the centre of the upper case. Both of these example however required large houses to put them in. The G.P. England is quite different in scale and in style. It has no stop of higher than 4’ pitch but does have an open metal stop of 8’#pitch, a Dulciana. It is notable that the Danson Mansion and Petworth House intruments have only a single shifting movement pedal whereas the G.P. England organ has two. One could draw many conclusions about the 1806 intrument but it seems to me to mark a change in two ways from the grander intruments. Firstly its size and voicing is more suited to a modest domestic interior. To answer this need the intrument had to be more compact than they previously needed to be. This may indicate a need to find a market amoungst customers who were not quite so wealthly as those which organbuilders had previously relied on. The second point is that the organ shows a stylistic shift from the chorus based work of the 18th Century. The use of two shifting movement pedals on an organ of only four stops is part of this change, indicating a desire for rapid and dramatic stop changes, which better suited the romantic fashions of the times. It is easy to overlook the political background against which G.P. England built the 1806 organ. From 1793 until Waterloo in 1815 Britain was engaged in an almost continous battle against Napoleon and his allies. In 1806 Britain was blockaded by Napoleon dominated Europe and had responded with a counter blockade. In this context the organ is perhaps remarkable for it must have been a difficult time to find new work. Later there would be more ecclesiastical work when the the Napoleonic Wars ended and more still when the British Government started the Waterloo churches and Comissioners’ churches schemes. Researching this organ has been a useful experience. In looking at the past we tend to have a very one dimensional view which sees life then as dull and stable. The reality is however that people then were just as much touched by joy and tragedy. There are always problems and and obstacles in life at any period. When the G.P. England organ was built, Britain was engaged in a major military and political struggle with Napoleon. It is easy to say that those who were not directly involved in the war were not affected. This is not true. The war with Napoleonic Europe influenced many spheres of ordinary life. The Army and Navy were expanded to fight the war. Blockades and political manoeuvres affected trade and industry in Britain. Periods of great instability and upheaval often result in two apparently contraditory responses. These is often a desire for security in ones personal life and yet greater innovation in industry, design and other fields. The original waste pallet of the organ is dated 19th May 1806. In the previous month one Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born. His work would radically change how people traveled within and beyond Britain. Jane Austen novels were written around about this time recording an apparently stable and conservative society but in reality changes were underway. The Army and Navy characters who are scattered throughout her books were a sign how even those in the country were affected by the war. G.P. England’s four stop organ was a transitional instrument. It had turned away from the 18th Century tonal architecture towards a new aesthetics. The reservoirs however, whilst being created in a new way still relied on the traditional techniques and craftmenship. Elsewhere the design and construction of the instrument is in accord with the work of the late 18th Century and is still a long way off from the Victorian organ which is yet to come. This small organ bears the influence of the changing times in which was made.

Aidan Nutter

January 2012

Appendix A Specification of G.P. England Organ 1806 Manual (4 stops) GG, AA, AA#, BB1, C to f3 (58 Notes) 1. Stopped Diapason 8 58 pipes (Wood) 2. Dulciana 8 42 pipes (Metal, bass derived from Stopt 8’) 3. Principal 4 53 pipes (Metal, bass derived from Flute 4’) 4. Flute 4 58 pipes (Wood, top 12 notes open)

There are two shifting movement pedals. The Right hand pedal puts off the Principal 4’ and the Flute 4’. The Left hand one put off the Stopped diapason 8’#but also works the Right hand pedal mechanism thereby putting off the Principal 4’ and the Flute 4’.

Notes: The organ is very similar to the G.P. England at Lamarsh village church of the Holy Innocents. This has three stops (it has no Flute 4’) but still has two shifting movement pedals. The keyboard is shorter only starting at C but have the same arrangement in that they fold up into the case. The case is similar even down to having the same cornice profile. It has a simpler pipefront of the same sort of simple gothic design. The organ was presented to the church by the rector (who lived at Alhamstone rectory) in the later half of the 19th Century. The date is given as 1803. Although we cannot on the basis of these few details be certain it seems likely that the organ has a similar arrangement of reservoir, soundboard and key action. The existence of two organs of a similar type would seem to indicate that there are or were other such intruments around. For fuller details see NPOR entry number N08671 and E01107.

Appendix B

Console doors shuts up with keys

Mander Organs London 2011Scale: 1 : 12.5 @ A4London 2011

Position of missing feeder shown with dashed lines

0

100

0

200

300

800

700

600

500

400

900

1 ft

2 ft

3 ft

Front View

1 M

etre

Mander Organs

1 ft 300

0

100

0

200

2 ft

3 ft 900

800

700

600

500

400

1 M

etre

Mander Organs

100

0

200

300

800

700

600

500

400

900

Scale: 1 : 12.5 @ A4 London 2011

Console door shuts up with keys

Frame for music desk to slid up into

Section

1 ft

0

2 ft

3 ft

1 M

etre

Drawing showing the details of key action.

4

3

21

Note: That not all of the features of this action have been accurately measured (scale: 1 : 4).

Soundboard. Into which only a brass wire enters to push pallet down.

Rollerboard with five rollers for notes AA, BB, C#, D# and F.

Keyboards which fold away (shown with dotted lines).

Beam with splayed backfalls. Also has a stop off to prevent the backfalls falling whenkeys folded away.

3

2

1

4

Appendix C

Bottom of reservoir. The fan shaped marks are the ends of the cord which formed the hinge to the feeder. The two holes are for the integral trunk (see also below)

Oblique trunking connecting the reservoir and soundboard.

Making the new packing pieces to the reservoirs. This will be covered by leather gussets.

Top of central pipefront showing one of many signs of damage to this part of the case.

Details of the very fine finials to the Gothic arches.

The rather fine Greek Classical cornice which contrasts strongly with the somewhat finicky Gothic details to pipefront.

Console opening visible in the photo Keys and panel under close up this opening. Hole to soffit is for the music desk which pushes into space above the console.

The metal front pipes.

Profile of Drawstop knobs. Below is an example of the elaborate Copperplate engraving.

The keyboard fixed to casework panel to fold away when not in use.

Keys numbered with red ink.

Stopped diapason showing nicking.

Stopped diapason stopper.

Marking on BB Flute.

Stickers for key action.

Appendix D