Blog
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Flute organ interior
Henry has written an article about the Flute Organ for the summer 2020 edition of The Musical Box (the journal of the Musical Box Society of Great Britain https://www.mbsgb.org.uk/)
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Henry Bennett’s flute organ
Henry has recorded Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu on the flute organ which we restored last year:
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Edward’s farewell box
For Edward’s retirement the craftspeople of the Harley Foundation studios made a box with miniature versions of their work. For the makers see the website: https://www.harleygallery.co.uk/harley-studios/
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Fiona Hutchinson’s hand removing blemishes in the decorated paint finish of the front pipes
Fiona Hutchinson’s hand removing blemishes in the decorated paint finish of the front pipes
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Upperboards waiting to go into the organ with new top hats to encourage stability
Upperboards waiting to go into the organ with new top hats to encourage stability
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Re-assembled Swell stop action and composition mechanism with Great wind trunk interfering
Re-assembled Swell stop action and composition mechanism with Great wind trunk interfering
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Chris starting on the new Pedal key action
Chris starting on the new Pedal key action
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Rob working on the cut-off valve
Rob sitting on the blower box working on the cut-off valve between the two reservoirs
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Working on the organ at Theatr Soar Merthyr Tydfil
Rob in the basement working on the wind system and Chris on the ground floor (002)
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Continuing installation at Theatr Soar Merthyr Tydfil
We have been installing the mechanism in the 1893 Peter Conacher organ. The wind system has two reservoirs and is powered by hand, water engine (restored by James Richardson Jones) or electric blower. The pneumatic Pedal key action, supplied in 1938 with two extra stops, has been replaced with a new mechanical key action copied …
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Inter-manual couplers
One of the faults was in the inter-manual coupler, which could not be adjusted. The keys are Hill 1858, and rely on a saw cut which leaves a piece of short grain to provide a spring against which the adjustment screw pushes, which is now often broken.
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Sloping organist’s bench
I have never seen an organist’s bench with the seat sloping forwards, not surely an advantage
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Oscar Bennett tuning at St Andrew Undershaft
Oscar Bennett tuning at St Andrew Undershaft.
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Repairs to St Andrew Undershaft
Dominic and Edward’s great nephew Oscar Bennett carried out two weeks of repairs to the organ at St Andrew Undershaft. It is an organ by William Hill 1858 and 1875, using earlier pipework and case by Renatus Harris 1696 and Byfield 1749, and with additions and alterations by Speechley in 1889 (Swell organ), Walker 1926 …
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Edward taking his tools home
Edward packing and taking his tools home……
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Edward’s new bike!
Edward’s colleagues bought him a fold-up bicycle, so that he can pop it in the car and explore the country
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Edward has retired on his birhday!
Edward Bennett finally retired from full time organ building on August 13th, and his colleagues, friends and the craftspeople of the other Harley Foundation workshops assembled to celebrate his tremendous contribution to the art and craft of organ building, and to the four decades of instruments produced by G&G at Welbeck. Edward was 73 on …
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Collecting the Snetzler chamber organ from Birmingham University
In the autumn we will be doing some restoration work on the 1755 Snetzler chamber organ now in the Barber Institute at Birmingham University. It is an almost unaltered example of his work. The only alteration was to replace the keys (by T.R.Willis of The Minories on the eastern edge of the City of London). …
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Fitting them to the pallet guide pins
Fitting them to the pallet guide pins
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Flattening the pallets
Flattening the pallets
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Edward making the new wind chest for the Thomas Mace organ
Edward making the new wind chest for the Thomas Mace organ
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Neapolitan Harpsichord
Our friend and colleague Willie Hendry has made a reproduction of a Neapolitan harpsichord. It is to be heard and seen on https://youtu.be/zPBilqcKoYU. It is for sale; enquiries to whendry@tiscali.co.uk
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Repairs stage 3
Repairs stage three
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Repairs stage 2
Repairs stage two
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Repairs stage 1
Repairs stage one
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Pipe repairs on the organ at Merthyr Tydfil
A front pipe in need of repair from the 1890 Peter Conacher Organ at Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. Joe Marsden will repair damage to the zinc front pipe that has been folded over the tuning window in the next few posts.
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The finished Thomas Mace keyboard
The finished Thomas Mace keyboard
