LLANELLY ST ELLI’S CHURCH RESTORATION OF ANON. ORGAN

The organ is unusual, perhaps because it is provincial and largely anonymous.  It looks as if it is based round a very small late Georgian chamber organ, of which the wind chest, keyboard and many of the pipes survive.   They do not really fit together.  The keys may originally have been GG C AA – e³, a compass used between about 1740 and 1790 (perhaps secondhand).  The wind chest looks as if it was made by a good craftsman who was not trained to make organs.  Its original compass was C D to e³.  There is a large number of 18th century pipes, all of one date, which look older than the chest and keys, well-made, perhaps also secondhand, from the middle of the 18th century.  The much-altered support structure dates from the same period as the wind chest.

 

The organ came to the church from Ty Mawr, a large house in the village in 1910.  It is possible that the rebuilding of the organ dates from this time, though it looks earlier (including the pipe front).  From this time date the Open Diapason and the Stop Diapason bass and treble (a rather roughly-made wooden stop).  Also the bellows and stop action.

 

The Pedal wind chest, pipes, keys and action are later, perhaps from 1942, since they have a trade quality and standard which the rest lacks.  There is an inscription on the pallet thumper rail: Ingram & Co/ Hereford/ Dec 1942.  The wind chest may have been restored at this date, the case given a black-japanned finish (similar to pianos of the period) and the woodwork round the keyboard stripped.

 

The stoplist is as follows:

Fifteenth2 feetPrincipal4 feet
Stopd Diap Bass8 feetStopd Diap Treble8 feet
Open Diapason8 feetDulciana8 feet
Manual to PedalsGrand Bourdon16 feet

 

The manual compass is C – e³, the pedal compass is C – c¹.

 

The organ was dismantled by Derrick Carrington to allow treatment to the floor beneath the organ, in 2018.  It was restored by Abigail and Rob Balfour Rowley, Chris Davies and Dominic Gwynn during 2021 and 2022.  The restorers only saw the organ in pieces, rather haphazardly stored, so piecing the parts together provided a challenge.  It was also challenging to restore an organ which was originally not consistently and professionally made.  Nonetheless, restoration has repaid the faith put in the organ by the incumbent, the Revd. Jeremy Bevan.  It is an organ which may well have been made in the area, perhaps by a talented musical instrument maker or amateur craftsman.

The pictures show an evensong  held to celebrate the reconstruction of the instrument, with the organ featuring in the background.