The UK's leading Digital Church Organ specialist
We have a number of overseas customers, and it is always a great story to share how we get our instruments to the far corners of the world safely. I particularly enjoyed working with St Andrew’s Church in Nairobi who ordered a large 3 manual organ. In this modern world that we live in, we…
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The Covid-19 crisis has triggered a small peak in demand for home practice organs among the musicians who are now trapped at home and excluded from use of their church instrument. A practice organ for home is by any stretch of the imagination a ‘luxury purchase’. In more normal times it is dominated by a…
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We were contacted by Haslemere Methodist Church in July 2019. They were in search of a new organ to replace their ageing and slightly unreliable two manual Ahlborn organ which was purchased from new around 30 years ago. The instrument had given great service, but the old electronics were causing interference with their new PA…
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I have chosen this customer installation to write up in some detail as there is an interesting story to tell that involves a lot of the issues faced by our country churches in general and specifically with organ improvements. All Hallows Church is unusual in the following respects:- The speed with which the formal processes…
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As many organists will no doubt be aware, Buckfast Abbey in Devon has recently benefited from the installation of a remarkable new pipe organ by Fratelli Ruffatti. This dramatic new instrument sports two beautiful consoles and a gallery organ, the whole thing playable from either end of the church. As part of the completion of…
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Trinity Methodist Church in Golders Green have a Compton 6 rank extension organ dating from 1939 housed in 2 swell boxes on their west end gallery. The console has the Compton ‘illuminated’ stop controls. About 15 years ago it was subject to an expensive overhaul and it again faced a further refurbishment estimate in the…
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Almost two years ago now we took an order from the United Reformed Church in Muswell Hill who were planning a £3.0 million refurbishment of their building. It is unusual to get this much notice of a firm order but the church were anxious to fix the price in the context of the looming Brexit…
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We are always delighted when a church chooses to purchase a Viscount organ. Especially having done their own lengthy research into the various brands available. A decision to purchase a Viscount Envoy 35-F It is exactly what happened earlier this year when we were contacted by Reg Huxtable from Our Lady and The English Martyrs…
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Traveling with colleague Richard Patt to meet a potential customer in Suffolk recently, I had the opportunity to pass close by one of our recent installations in a very fine country church. So I took the opportunity to break the journey and pop into St Mary’s to listen to our instrument. St Mary the Virgin…
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About a year ago now I learnt that Miller’s Music of Cambridge had provided a Cadet Compact 31 which was installed in the rooms of the senior organ scholar. I was aware that many college organ scholars often had a piano in their rooms and had wondered why none (to my knowledge) at either Oxford…
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I thought you might like to read an update on the instrument installed in 2011 at St Augustine’s Church. New place for the organ console and speakers The church closed in 2017 for a major refurbishment and redecoration which was completed earlier this year. We removed the instrument and took it into storage while the…
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What I hear you ask is unusual about an organ in a loft. That’s where you would expect to find the console. In fact I think most organists if asked, would they prefer to be on the floor of the church or tucked away out of sight in the private world of a loft would…
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I (Francis Rumsey) found myself in Dublin in late August, invited by Viscount’s Irish dealer David Jeffers to voice two rather different Physis-based organs that they had recently installed. The experience brought into sharp focus the differences between voicing a smallish organ in a modest church with limited reverberation, and a large one in a…
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The history of the Unitarian chapel The history of “The Old Meeting House” Unitarian chapel in Tenterden, Kent, can be traced back to the year 1662. Following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, two years later in 1662 the revised “Book Of Common Prayer” was published, and the “Act Of Uniformity” was passed. This…
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This year we have seen a considerable increase in the number of churches facing a serious decision regarding the future of their pipe organs. A number of these involve what were, when new very good instruments indeed. Passage of time and perhaps the lack of regular maintenance have now brought some to a sorry state…
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On occasion, we have a need to divide an organ console into two sections to allow it to be placed into the customers chosen room. While the pedal boards detach as a matter of routine there are times when doors are too narrow or stairs turn through 90 degrees and the console will just not…
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After a very busy week it is nice to look forward to catching up with some private work and time at the week end as most often we do, but just occasionally the weekend piece is interrupted by the need for help which just cannot be ignored. July the 22nd 2017 was one such a…
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This client installation at Lough Derg is quite an unusual one but very exciting one indeed. From some of the pictures in this blog it is not difficult to see why Lough Derg has developed as a significant place of pilgrimage. The setting on an island lends itself to being a place of peace and…
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When I came into the office a while back I was greeted with a sight of a Welsh National Opera vehicle parked outside which I assure you is not a frequent sight. On entering the building I found a repair in progress on their travelling Viscount Organ that had recently blown an amplifier driving external…
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Earlier this year we received our largest ever enquiry for 20 single manual instruments to replace a variety of older instruments from various manufacturers used in the UGLE meeting rooms. Needless to say this was an exciting prospect and we duly sharpened our pencil and were delighted to have the order confirmed in the spring….
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I never cease to be amazed with the level of trouble some organists will go to, to ensure that they are able to play. Especially those in the hauptwerk community. These extraordinarily enthusiastic musicians often share with us on our Facebook Page – about the quite large and complex instruments they have put together from all sorts of…
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It is always a joy to see a number of our loyal customers upgrading instruments over time as they move from 2 to 3 manuals or from older technology to the very latest we have available. Some of our customers even have more than one instrument! It is rare though to have the pleasure of…
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The main and civic church for the town of Witney, Saint Mary’s, was re-dedicated in 1243. As you can see the church sits in a prominent position at the head of the town green with a substantial spire above the crossing. The fine west window (and our reworked console) can be seen at the top of…
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Tony would be delighted to welcome organists contemplating the purchase of a Viscount to explore his home installation. If you are interested to do this please first call Viscount to be given Tony’s contact information. I have wanted for some time now to share my experience in purchasing a new organ for my home use….
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