ORGANS IN & AROUND CHESTERFIELD

SOMERSALL HALL

In 1951 Henry Willis & Sons Ltd. inspected a chamber organ in Somersall Hall at the request of the occupier, Mrs. R.G. Millward. They found an instrument with one manual and a compass from CC to f, 54 notes. The pipes of the two 'bass' stops were unenclosed; the other ranks, which began at tenor F, were enclosed in a swell box. The organ was foot-blown, and had the following stoplist:

GREAT
     Open Diapason               tenor f upwards
     Stop Diapason bass          CC to tenor e
     Stop Diapason treble        tenor f upwards
     Principal bass              CC to tenor e
     Principal treble            tenor f upwards
     Hautboy                     tenor f upwards

In 1951 Willis cleaned and overhauled the organ. Missing ivories and one stop-label were replaced; an electric blower was fitted.

Early in 1962 Mrs. Millward was given notice to vacate the hall. She intended the organ to go to M.A. Fiennes Esq. at Hill Top Farm, Dronfield, and asked Willis to move it later in the year. In the event there was a change of plan, and the organ was left in the hall after she left.

The hall was later demolished. The fate of the organ is unknown.

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