ORGANS IN & AROUND CHESTERFIELD

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, WHITTINGTON

This attractive church in its typically English country churchyard is the third to stand on the site. The Norman church of 1140 was pulled down and replaced by a new building in 1863. Almost completely destroyed by fire in 1895, it was replaced by the present building, dedicated in 1896. Only the 100ft. spire remains from the old church.

The organ was installed in 1896 at a cost of £280 by

Holdich & Ingram
361 Liverpool Road
London N

The organ-screen was carved by Bernard Dorrington of Heanor. In 1938 Bower & Dunn (Sheffield) added a 32ft. stop and a tremulant; in 1946 an electric blower was fitted. Here is the stoplist:

GREAT
    16       Double Diapason            stopped wood
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason           open wood from middle C
     8       Dulciana
     4       Principal
     4       Flauto Traverso    
     2       Fifteenth
 
SWELL
     8       Open Diapason              grooved bass
     8       Lieblich Gedact
     8       Gamba                      grooved bass
     8       Voix Salicional            sic; grooved bass
     4       Principal    
     8       Oboe
             Tremulant
 
PEDAL
    32       Harmonic Bass
    16       Bourdon
     8       Bass Flute
 
Couplers: 3 unison., Swell 8ve.
2 composition pedals to Great.
Balanced pedal to Swell.
Compass: 56/30.
Action: mechanical to manuals, pneumatic to pedals and some manual basses.

 

The organ is on the south side of the chancel, with the drawstop console attached. The 'Voix Salicional' is a celeste, so named owing to a partial re-engraving of the drawstop shield at some date.

On a visit to the organ in 1991 I found it badly in need of attention. Many Pedal notes were not sounding, and several stops were in a poor state of regulation (Swell Voix Salicional and Oboe, Great Open). Some of the fluework had a hard, unattractive tone (Great Open and Swell Gamba), while the Great chorus was surprisingly reticent. The Lieblich Gedact was the gem of the organ, a lovely 'old-world' sound; it seems that builders who made indifferent choruses and otherwise characterless stops rarely failed with their stopped flutes. I had been expecting better of the well-known London firm, but it was clear that a thorough clean, overhaul and regulation would probably improve matters considerably. The planned restoration was carried out in the mid 1990s; I have not yet had the chance to return to the church.

PICTURE CREDITS
Old Whittington organ: Nigel Tilley, 1991

Return to the index of organs
Return to the introduction to organs in & around Chesterfield
Return to the front page of the website