Author Archives: Goetze and Gwynn

The Finchcocks crew

Dick Burnett talking to Derek Adlam, Lawrence Peskett and Katrina Burnett. Lawrence is an architectural designer who spent many years working at Finchcocks and has designed the new music room for the Burnetts in Tunbridge Wells.

Derek Adlam and Katrina Burnett

Derek talking to Katrina, who was also celebrating her 80th birthday. The celebration included the achievements making new and restoring historic keyboard instruments of Adlam Burnett in their workshop at Finchcocks near Goudhurst in Kent. Chris Nobbs and Bruce Luckhurst were present from that time. The occasion also looked to the future, launching the Finchcocks Charity, which supports musical events using historic keyboard instruments. There is a website with information about the Richard Burnett Heritage Collection and the Charity at http://www.finchcocks.co.uk/index.html

Derek’s 80th birthday celebration

On Sunday May 20th Dominic took Derek Adlam to an 80th birthday celebration at Dick and Katrina Burnett’s house in Tunbridge Wells. Derek is the doyen of early piano and harpsichord makers in the UK, who used to occupy the workshop next to ours at Welbeck.

Nick fixing the new red silk

Nick fixing the red silk to the spandrels of the pipe front, between the frame and the oval pipe front.

Samuel Green chamber organ at Edith Weston

In 1981 Martin and Dominic carried out their first restoration project on the 1786 Samuel Green chamber organ in the church at Edith Weston. The main concern then was to reverse the effects of damp and corrosion, and much was left unrestored, including the finish of the case. Now the pipe front has been restored by Nick Hagen with brass chicken wire and red silk, paid for by 2 Medical Regiment who are leaving MOD North Luffenham, which is closing.

Wingfield organ at St Cuthbert’s, Wells

David Cheetham Tudor organist, and members of the congregation gathering for a service at St Cuthbert’s in Wells, devised by our vicar the Revd. Sam Denyer to mark the stations of the Resurrection in the Easter season. David played the Wingfield organ, including a piece of Frescobaldi to mark the end of the service.

Chris leathering pallets

Chris cutting the new leather for the pallets of the Horniman Museums ca1790 chamber organ

Nick carving for the organ front

Nick carving for the front of the 17th century style consort organ

Edward hinging ribs

Edward hinging ribs to make the bellows folds for the 17th century style consort organ

Ben Marks working on the Horniman Museum organ

Ben Marks, keyboard instrument conservator http://keyboardconservation.co.uk/Home.html has been working with us for a week, sponsored by the HLF and the Horniman Museum. He has restored the keyboard of the ca1790 anon. chamber organ, and the key action.

Heritage Lottery Fund

The restoration of the chamber organ is part of a Heritage Lottery Fund project including a 1668 Neopolitan virginals and a 1777 London square piano. The HLF have made a crucial contribution to the revival of the historic British organ in the last 20 years, especially to the revival of the Georgian church organ. Thank you HLF.

Follow the link : https://www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/news-features/finchcocks-keyboards-enhance-horniman’s-collection

Anon ca1790 English Chamber organ

This is the organ that used to belong to Finchcocks keyboard and instrument collection and is now at the Horniman museum. It would not have been made by an important organ builder, but a little maker working for a shop like Longman and Broderip, or Henry Holland.

The HLF and the Horniman Museum

Mimi Waitzman addressing a meeting in the workshop around the restoration of the anon ca 1790 chamber organ once at Finchcocks keyboard instrument museum and now at the Horniman Museum. Mimi is Deputy Keeper of Musical Instruments at the Horniman museum – she is talking about the role of the curator in looking after the instruments and introducing them to the public.

Chris knocking in pallet guide pins

Chris knocking in pallet guide pins on the windchest for the organ from the Horniman museum

Paper glued on the pallet box cover

Paper used for writing exercises glued to the pallet box cover of the Horniman museum organ windchest

Windchest from the Horniman museum organ

Chris removing the pallet box frame from the leaking windchest of the Horniman museum organ

Erddigs new organ stool

Nick has made a copy of the original 1865 organ stool for general use at Erddig (National Trust).

Nick’s casework for the new consort organ

Nick’s casework for the new consort organ almost finished, with the frame for the dummy front just propped in place.

Francois Ryelandt, his friend Arnaud Andreas Linos and Arnaud Giral at Canons Ashby House

Francois Ryelandt, his friend Arnaud Andreas Linos and Arnaud Giral at Canons Ashby House in Northamptonshire. Francois is a hirer of Harpsicords and organs from Brussels, and Arnaud Giral is a viol maker from Bristol, here is a link to his website http://arnaudgiral.com/ . Arnaud made a complete set of viols for the Viol group L’Archéron, https://www.lacheron.com/

Francois Ryelandt accompanying Andreas on his viol at the ca1680 consort organ at Canons Ashby

Francois Ryelandt accompanying Andreas on his viol at the ca1680 consort organ at Canons Ashby

Andreas linos playing his tenor viol with the ca1680 consort organ at Canons Ashby

Andreas Linos playing his tenor viol with the ca1680 consort organ at Canons Ashby

Joe’s windchest for the new consort organ nearing completion

Joe’s windchest for the new consort organ nearing competion

Nick’s layout for the dummy pipe front for the new consort organ

Nick’s layout for the dummy pipe front for the new consort organ

Chris cutting the flue in the stop Diapason

Chris cutting the flue in the stop Diapason caps of the new consort organ

A view of the pedal coupler at Trinity College Dublin

A view of the pedal coupler at Trinity College Dublin

The pipes in the chair organ at Trinity College Dublin

The pipes in the chair organ at Trinity College Dublin

Willie Hendry playing the newly completed organ at Trinity college Dublin

Our friend and colleague, Willie Hendry, a harpsicord maker and tuner, playing the newly restored organ at Trinity College Dublin, following a week with Goetze and Gwynn in Dublin.

Edward popping out the blower access hole

Edward popping out the access hole for the blower at Trinity College Dublin

Rob Balfour-Rowley tuning trombones at Trinity College Dublin

Rob Balfour-Rowley voicing the trombones at Trinity College Dublin during the last week of February 2018. A link to the tuning is below :

https://www.facebook.com/balfourrowley/videos/vb.564338050576097/594179354258633/?type=2&theater

The Public Theatre at Trinity College Dublin in the snow

The Public theatre in Trinity College Dublin in the snow from the “Beast from the East”!