The organ was built in 1874 by the highly respected firm of Gray and Davison of London, at a cost of £330. In 1881 it was dismantled and stored by the original builders in order that the chancel could be decorated, and it is probable that the lovely decorated casework dates from that time. In 1888 Gray and Davison cleaned the organ and added two stops, to the Great was added the Great Clarinet, and the Vox Angelica to the Swell. This work cost £73.10.00 It is still possible to see where these stops were added, although the stop buttons themselves are a perfect match. At some time before 1923 an electric blower was added, the original wooden handle for pumping the instrument remains intact.
Apart from regular tuning and necessary small-scale maintenance, little else has been done to the organ to the present day. Its condition continues to "deteriorate gently" to quote from a report by Harrison & Harrison, and although it remains playable it is becoming in iurgent need of a full restoration. Much of the internal tracker action has become brittle with age, the connecting wires are rusted, and the whole action is frail. The organ pipe work is very dirty, as would be expected of an instrument of this age. Some of the pipes were damaged during recent stonework restoration in the church, when it was necessary to place tell tales in the organ arch to check for movement there. The keyboards are very worn, again to be expected, and the ivory covering on the keys on two octaves of the Great keyboard needs to be replaced. The pedal board - unusual nowadays in that it is square and not radial - has become loose, and therefore is noisy in operation. The fact that the leatherwork remains sufficiently airtight for the organ to operate reasonably well, and can still support most of the stops speaks highly of the craftsmanship when it was first installed 130 years ago. The original organ stool is still in use, for the last fifty years it has been held together with a length of skipping rope!
It is a beautiful instrument, perfectly suited to a small village church, and has served the parish so well. Again to quote from Harrison & Harrison, "It is an excellent instrument in every way and eminently suited to the church. Although the effects of age and wear are very evident, the organ was built to the highest standards."
For these reasons it will give us the greatest joy to see our well used and beloved organ faithfully restored to the condition it was left in after the addition of 1888, able to support the worship of the congregation of St Barnabas for another 130 years.
Judith Lees
Organist
