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ST. MARY'S, THORNBURY
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History Rebuilding and renovating an organ is something which takes place only occasionally in the life of a church community and consequently it represents an exciting project for those involved. It
is a costly matter and, because of this, some churches faced with pipe
organ renovations have sought alternative accompanying forces, such as
imitation electronic instruments, pianos or ad hoc ensembles. Admittedly
all have a place in worship, but few would dispute the fact that the traditional
pipe organ is far and away the most effective medium of accompaniment.
It also has a greater capacity than any other instrument for creating an
atmosphere worthy for the worship of the Almighty.
A
reassuring measure of our firm beliefs in the value of the traditional
music of the church is apparent in the generosity shown by the congregation
of St Mary's, together with the local traders and townspeople, whose combined
efforts have ensured that the evocative tones of a pipe organ will be heard
in our beautiful church for the next century.
THE
EARLIEST MENTION of an organ in St Mary's appears to be 1800. As
far as we can tell, this was a small instrument situated in a gallery under
the tower probably built by a local Bristol builder like Richard Seede
and very similar to that in the local Baptist church. It replaced
the Church Musicians who had accompanied the worship with a diverse selection
of instruments.
Some
years later, the church underwent a programme of 'Victorian Reform' where
one of the main features was the standardisation of the pews. Hitherto,
each family had provided their own enclosures, the average height of which
was over five feet! It was at this time that the original instrument
was moved from the West gallery to its present position. Its limitations
were recognised and it was replaced by a two manual instrument built by
W C Vowles of Bristol in 1870.
In
1901 some repair work was carried out, probably due to a leakage from the
organ chamber roof. This fact has only come to light in the 1988
renovations when the Great Soundboard was opened up. A feint pencil
message reads:
THE
ADVENT OF ELECTRICITY rendered redundant the skills of the organ blower.
Many of these hard- working gentlemen have left their marks on the interior
woodwork of the instrument and these panels have been preserved.
Opinions vary about the exact dire of the electric blower, but it was probably
installed in the late 1920s.
It
was at this time that the instrument was given a major overhaul and also
received the addition of pneumatic action. This is where air pressure
is used to help to play the pipes from the console and it replaced the
time-honoured system of levers and rods called tracker action. The
new action enabled the super octave and sub octave couples to be added
to the scheme.
In
the 1940s some 'patching up' was necessary and minor repairs were made
(including replacing the worn portions of the pedal board). However,
despite this work, by 1952 a report called the organ "worn" and by 1986
some parts were completely unusable. Between these two dates several
schemes were proposed including the complete replacement of the instrument
with one from a redundant church. In 1986 the organist, Nigel Dayies,
undertook a detailed survey of all the possibilities regarding an organ
for St Mary's. These included replacement by a new pipe instrument;
replacement by a new electronic instrument and the complete restoration
of the existing instrument. The PCC were unanimous in their acceptance
of the third of these possibilities.
An
organ committee was set up to monitor progress (and help in fund raising)
under the enthusiastic chairmanship of the curate, Fr Brian Prothero.
An appeal was launched, a gift day organised, concerts arranged and all
kinds of money-making efforts from sponsored events to displays of
Christening Gowns contributed to the cause.
DURING
THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA, St. Mary's had very few organists. The
most influential was John Taylor Chambers whose sixty years, service is
commemorated on a plaque near the Stafford Chapel. The Chambers family
were well-'known in Thornbury and John's brother Charles was particularly
influential in designing the specification of the 1870 instrument.
Apparently he was insistent that there should be plenty of 'foundation
stops' - and his influence was certainly felt! After all, a Fellow
of the College of Organists, he held a Doctorate in Music from Cambridge
(one of three Thornbury residents to achieve this distinction within the
space of a few years) and eventually became organist of Newcastle Cathedral.
John
Taylor Chambers along with his wife ran a school at Rosemount and sold
and tuned pianos as well as selling music. He was indeed a thoroughbred
musician and it says much for his reputation that Dr Basil Harwood played
the organ at his funeral.
By
today's standards there was little remarkable about the 1870 organ, especially
when compared with the instruments in nearby Wotton-under-Edge and Dursley.
The Vicar of Wotton purchased the organ from St. Martin-in-the-Fields (as
played by Handel!) and brought it to Wotton in the early 1800s. However,
the locally- built Thornbury instrument was capable of some beautiful sounds,
particularly from the wooden flute pipe.
Specification
of the organ built in 1870 by W G Vowles:
Specification of the organ rebuild in 1988
by Percy Daniel and Co. Ltd.
The
final result is a tribute to the builders, Percy Daniel and Company, whose
painstaking and diligent craftsmanship from the removal of the first pipe
to the replacement of Vowles' original name plate has been exemplary.
The
organ was rededicated by the Vicar, the Reverend Canon Michael Vooght,
on Easter Day 1988 and a short recital given by Nigel Davies inaugurated
a series of Sunday afternoon recitals given by local organists.
To
commemorate the generosity of those who contributed towards the cost of
the scheme, a large chart acknowledging the donors has been placed in the
swell box.
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