Wells-Kennedy Partnership - Organs Rebuilt and Restored
St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh - 1996/7
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 Former Case 1870-1995 |
 Great Pipework |
 New Great Mixtures |
 South Case 1997 |
Click on the images below to view larger versions
Former Case 1870-1995 |
Great Pipework |
New Great Mixtures |
South Case 1997 |
Great
Swell (enclosed)
Solo Reeds (unenclosed, playable on Choir)
|
Choir (enclosed)
Pedal
|
Couplers
Swell to Choir
Swell to Great
Choir to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Choir Octave to Pedal
Swell Reeds on Pedal transfer, also takes "Reeds off Swell"
Accessories
8 thumb pistons to Great
8 thumb pistons to Swell (duplicated by toe pistons)
8 thumb pistons to Choir
8 thumb pistons General (transferable to Swell toe pistons)
8 toe pistons to Pedal
6 reversible thumb pistons: Sw/Ch, Sw/Gt, Ch/Gt, Sw/Ped, Gt/Ped, Ch/Ped
3 reversible toe pistons: Gt/Ped, Sw/Gt, Cimbelstern
1 thumb piston to General Cancel
1 thumb piston to Set
4 thumb pistons & 1 toe piston to NEXT
1 thumb piston to PREVIOUS
Generals on Swell Toe Pistons
Great and Pedal combinations coupled
Cimbelstern
Detached drawstop console
Electropneumatic key action
Electric stop action with solid state combination capture system incorporating:
16 Divisional memory levels
64 General memory levels, with sequencer
Balanced Pedals to Swell and Choir
* denotes new or recast stops
Builder: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1840
Repaired: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1842
Moved to North Transept: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1854
Rebuilt: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1870
Tonal Revision: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1876
Rebuilt: J W Walker & Sons, London, 1899
Rebuilt: Evans & Barr Ltd, Belfast, 1928
Overhauled: Telford & Telford, Dublin, 1941
Rebuilt: J W Walker & Sons Ltd, London, 1954
Tonal Revision: J W Walker & Sons Ltd, London, 1970
Repaired: C A Smethurst, Manchester, 1978
Repaired: Wells-Kennedy Partnership Ltd, Lisburn, 1989
Rebuilt: Wells-Kennedy Partnership Ltd, Lisburn, 1996
The organ was built in 1840 by Joseph William Walker at a cost of £911. The organ cases were designed by L N Cottingham the architect responsible for the restoration of the cathedral at this time. The twin cases were executed in oak in the "Gothic Style" and exhibited fine carved detail.
It was eventually decided to erect the organ in the South Transept on a stone screen with the organ divided in two cases with the player in the centre. This must have produced a very heavy action.
In a letter, Dean Jackson wrote to the Primate, John George Beresford, he assured the Archbishop that "Your Grace will not regret the absence of the organ on the screen (removed in 1888). Such a position may not be amiss in a long extent of nave, but I think you will agree on seeing the effect at present, that our dimensions, the interior would have been entirely spoiled as to the view from the Western Entrance."
As can be seen from the above there was a proposal to build the organ on a screen as adopted in many cathedrals throughout the land, but it was not to be with site problems that have persisted to the present day.
The South Transept position was not satisfactory as the organist found communication with his choir was almost impossible and as the Armagh Guardian stated in 1853 the tone was "muffled and disagreeable, so much so that the choir had sometimes considerable difficulty in keeping together".
In 1854 the organ was moved to the North Transept at a cost of £282 6s 2 2/3d relative to its position in the South Transept but forward and nearer to the choir.
Evidently this arrangement was not entirely successful for the Precentor, the Revd Alexander Irwin spoke to Walker's tuner in 1869 asking if it would be possible to move the keyboards down to the choir level and modernise the instrument. This entailed increasing the compass of the Swell Organ, reducing the FFF compass of the Great and Choir Organs to CC, enlarging the Pedal Organ and extending its compass, the addition of two or more stops and altering the action. The Bath Stone screen was moved to the bass end of the organ and a new oak screen designed by Mr W Slater spanned the space between the tower piers of the North Transept. The centre part of the screen was executed by Walkers in conjunction with the new console. Further work was carried out by Walkers in 1876 and 1899.
In 1928 Messrs Evans & Barr drastically rebuilt the organ using the centre space between the two old cases for the Swell, Great and Choir Roosvelt sliderless chests. The Pedal Organ was put wherever there was space.
By 1938 the organ was giving trouble and estimates were obtained from Willis, Walker, Harrison and Conacher for doing up the organ. Nothing was done until Messrs Telford & Telford did some temporary repairs for the sum of £300 in 1941.
In 1954 Messrs J W Walker carried out a rebuild replacing the electrics and tonally revising the specification. A new drawstop console was supplied and built into Slater's oak screen.
Further work was carried out in 1970 when the console was detached and put in its present pit and Slater's screen removed to make way for the Chapter Stalls, previously in the choir but further east, to be placed behind the choirstalls. This entailed raising the front pipes and reversing their arrangement. This had a detrimental effect on the egress of tone from the transept.
The tuning and servicing of the organ was entrusted to the Wells-Kennedy Partnership in 1985 and a few minor repairs were carried out "to keep the organ going". By 1993 the organ was in a near state of collapse and thoughts for its rebuild and restoration were being mooted. A photographic survey was undertaken which showed that the general layout of the interior was a mess of ancillary chests placed wherever room could be found resulting in general bad planning. The main soundboards were at a lower level than the front pipes behind the Chapter Stalls thus blocking the sound and the historic organ cases of 1840 had virtually sunk into oblivion in the dark recesses of the organ chamber.
Bearing in mind the past history of the organ, with bad positioning, a succession of rebuilds and enlargements both by the original builders and others over the years it was thought a reappraisal of the whole scheme was called for.
Three fundamental points had to be considered:-
Structure and Mechanism
The heart of the restored organ would be the provision of new bar and slider soundboards for the three manual divisions thereby reverting to the historic principals of construction employed in the original instrument of 1840 but using modern techniques.
The Musical Perspective
In consultation with the Cathedral organist, Mr Martin White, the specification has been rationalised and seeks primarily to retain the original Walker tonal ethos. Coupled with the interior replanning the aim was to improve the general balance and projection within and between the individual departments of Great, Swell, Choir and Pedal organs and to increase the instrument's musical flexibility in its solo and accompanimental roles.
Visual Impact
When originally built the organ was placed in the South Transept and housed in a handsome double-fronted oak case in Victorian Gothic style, and subsequent rebuilding in the North Transept hid these cases from view. A nondescript pipe-rack mounted above the canonical stalls added nothing to the architectural concept.
Our proposals included restoring the cases and their facade pipes; one to be cantilevered over the stalls and the other mounted overlooking the Chapter Room. Luckily the architect for the Cathedral, Mr Stephen Leighton, saw the visual impact of placing both cases in the choir creating an architectural unity and cohesiveness befitting the choir area.
What was so amazing was the width of the tower arch (3945mm) and the width of the Walker case (3810mm) made for a comfortable fit.
Our original scheme was to retain the cases intact but we were asked to reduce the height and add the curved cantilever support being a much more satisfactory visual solution. However, the decorative panels of the old case have been retained at the back of the South Transept case.
The adoption of our scheme to restore the organ cases allowed us to replan the whole interior of the organ reducing the number of ancillary chests, raising the level of the Swell, Great and Choir Organs by to impost level. Bringing the Swell and Great Soundboards forward, thereby projecting the sound into the building.
The winding system was redesigned with the reduction of wind pressures it was possible to obtain less forced tone. The original Walker ethos was retained but producing a flexibility and balance in the light of present day musicological thought. The Choir Organ for instance retains the romantic influences of the Evans & Barr rebuild of 1928 plus the solo mutations so essential in providing colour. The Mixture work has all been remodelled and re-cast where necessary and a new Sesquialtera added to the Swell. The Choir has gained a new Principal 4ft, Nazard 2 2/3ft, Gemshorn 2ft, Tierce 1 3/5ft and Quint 1 1/3ft. A new spotted metal Trumpet 8ft has been added to the Great Organ. The Pedal Trombone has been extended by twelve notes to give a Contra Trombone 32ft.
The J W Walker & Sons console supplied in 1954 was restored with the ivory stopknobs re-engraved in Roman Capitals. New drawstop solenoids and key contacts assemblies were fitted and a state of the art digital 8 level combination capture system fitted. A J & L Taylor Solid State switching system was also supplied. The dark oak finish of the interior of the console was stripped and lightened and the drawstop jambs remade in English Walnut.
The new building frame was made out of best American Redwood, whilst the soundboards and 3 stage electro-pneumatic underactions were made of poplar and birch.
The original organ of 1840 had twenty-one stops distributed over three manuals and short compass pedals (GGGG-EE: 22 notes), now it has 57 speaking stops, 17 couplers and 3,337 pipes.
The historical detail of this article was researched by Alistair G McCartney.
| Published book on "The Organs and Organists of the Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Armagh, 1482-1998" |
| Armagh Cathedral rebuild mentioned in a local newspaper |
