ORGANS IN & AROUND CHESTERFIELD

ST. PETER, HOLYMOORSIDE

 

The photograph (left) shows the village of Holymoorside in about 1910. The Cotton Mill is in the centre, and to the right of it stands St. Peter's Church, built in 1841 as a mission church to St. Thomas, Brampton.

The Willis archives state that this organ was either a new instrument or a rebuild by C. Lloyd & Co. (Nottingham). In 1945 an electric blower was added. The stoplist was as follows:

GREAT
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Dulciana           
 
SWELL
     8       Violin Diapason
     8       Gedackt
     4       Principal
 
PEDAL
    16       Bourdon
 
3 unison couplers.
Balanced pedal to Swell.

The Willis file notes that in 1978 the organ was sold to Chaddesden Parish Church, Derby. None of the entries in the NPOR database confirms this, so its fate is unknown.

 

CONGREGATIONAL, HOLYMOORSIDE

This chapel was established in 1862 by Simeon Manlove, a member of the Congregational chapel at Soresby Street, Chesterfield. In 1874 he purchased an organ by Bevington from a church at Matlock; it replaced a harmonium at Holymoorside.

This organ was inspected by Henry Willis & Sons Ltd. in 1946, when the stoplist was as follows:

GREAT
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Dulciana
     4       Principal
     4       Harmonic Flute
     2       Fifteenth         
 
SWELL
     8       Violin Diapason
     8       Gedact
     8       Gamba
     8       Salicional
     4       Gemshorn
     2       Flageolet
     8       Oboe
             Tremulant (by foot pedal)
 
PEDAL
    16       Bourdon
 
3 unison couplers plus Swell 8ve, Swell 8ve to Great.
Composition pedals:  2 Great, 2 Swell.
Lever pedal to Swell.
Compass: 56/30

In 1946 Willis cleaned the organ and added an electric blower. Their tuning contract was terminated in 1958; the church has since closed, and the fate of the organ is unknown.

 

METHODIST, HOLYMOORSIDE

This small Wesleyan chapel was built in 1832-3. The Primitive Methodists had their own chapel from 1831-88; in the latter year they bought the Wesleyan chapel, as the Wesleyan congregation had been split by internal differences. Rather confusingly, a tablet on the front of the (former Wesleyan) chapel says "Primitive Methodist Chapel 1888".

This organ has no builder's plate, and its date of origin is unknown. Rodney Tomkins (in 'Historic Organs in Derbyshire', Cromford 1998) says that it was installed second-hand in 1930 and was said to have come from Ashover. Judging from internal evidence, it dates from about 1880, and may have been altered since that time. The organ stands at floor level to the left of the sanctuary; there is a plain pipefront, and the attached console faces 'east'. The stoplist is as follows:

GREAT
     8       Open Diapason                 tc
     8       Keraulophon                   tc
     8       Stop Diapason                 1-12; stopped wood
     8       Claribella                    (sic) 13-56; stopped wood
     4       Principal
     4       Wald Flute                    stopped metal
     2       Fifteenth         
PEDAL
    16       Double Diapason
 
"Pedals to Great".
2 composition pedals to the manual (No.1: all 8ft. stops; No.2: all manual stops)
Compass: 56/29 (flat & straight)
Mechanical action.

The pedal is interesting in its composition. There are 16ft. bourdon pipes for notes 1-12 only; notes 13-29 are permanently coupled to the manual at sub-octave pitch. Drawing "Pedals to Great" couples the manual at unison pitch throughout the compass.

An examination in 1991 showed the presence of re-used pipework. Some of the Open Diapasons are marked "Swell Salicional 4" in a copperplate hand; some of the Wald Flutes are marked "Lieblich Flute". Many pipes appear to be in poor condition, and show signs of age.

Tonally, the gem of the organ is the 4ft. Wald Flute, a chirpy little register. The pedal rank also is unexpectedly fine, firm-toned and soft. The main chorus is good, though individually the ranks have little character; overall the sound is sweet and domestic in quality.

PICTURE CREDITS
Holymoorside c.1910: from an old postcard
Holymoorside Methodist, organ & pipework: Nigel Tilley, 1991

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