When Buckingham visited the organ in 1830 he recorded a slightly enlarged stoplist, and wrote:ORGANS IN & AROUND CHESTERFIELD
ALL SAINTS, WINGERWORTH Both building and organ have an interesting history. In 1963-4 the old Norman church was made into a narthex for a large new church with graceful parabolic concrete arches and vivid, abstract stained-glass. The most striking feature of the interior is undoubtedly the organ-case, at the front of a chamber high in the west wall of the new building. The two outer panels are 19th-century, but the three central towers and two flats come from the 1755 Snetzler organ previously in St. Paul's Church, Pinstone Street, Sheffield. The woodwork is painted a vivid turquoise which, I am informed, was its original colour. The instrument behind the case has been successively rebuilt and enlarged so that little remains of the 1755 organ.Prior to the installation of this instrument at Wingerworth the records are fragmentary. The Gray & Davison ledgers (now in the British Organ Archive) note that in 1856 a Walker barrel organ was on hire to the church, and that a hired organ was still in place in 1860. This seems to have been replaced prior to 1875 with an organ by Brindley & Foster (Sheffield), which was itself replaced by the current instrument in 1975.
The early history of the Sheffield organ was published in 'Musical Opinion', April 1899, and recorded in the travel diaries of the itinerant organ builder Alexander Buckingham, who inspected instruments in many parts of the country during the 1820s and 30s. The Snetzler organ sat on a high west gallery in the classical church of St. Paul, Pinstone Street, which had seating for 1,400 people. The stoplist was as follows:
GREAT Open Diapason 1-4 stopped with metal 'helpers' Stopped Diapason Principal Twelfth Fifteenth Sesquialtera bass IV Cornet treble IV Trumpet CHOIR Stopped Diapason Principal Flute Fifteenth SWELL Open Diapason Cornet IV Hautboy Compass: Great & Choir short octaves GG to e, 57 notes; Swell tenor G to e, 34 notes.
Francis Jones (Sheffield) did work in 1839, including the substitution of a Dulciana for the Fifteenth on Choir. In 1871/2 the organ was thoroughly rebuilt by Brindley & Foster (Sheffield). The new stoplist was as follows:There is two Diagonal bellows and a Copula Stop to draw the Pedals on the Great Organ. In a Wainscott Case 18ft. high, 10ft. 5 1/2in. wide, 7ft. 10in. deep. There is a Copper plate screwed on the Desk board over the keys on which is engraved - This Organ Built by J. Snetzler was Erected in 1755 by the Subscription of the Seatholders and others. In 1810 it was thoroughly repaired with considerable Additions by J. Lincoln at the expense of the Seatholders. It appears in 1810 it was made long octaves with new sets of keys the Pedals added also the Trumpet and St. Diapason in the Swell. In 1827 it was Cleaned and a few of the Metal pipes repaired and the Pedals to act on the Great and Choir keys by Henry Lincoln for which he Charged and received £75 10s., worth about 45. Sheffield, 14 September 1830. A.B.
GREAT
16 Double Diapason
8 Open Diapason
8 Gamba
8 Rohr Gedact
4 Principal
4 Lieblich Flöte
2 2/3 Twelfth
2 Fifteenth
- Mixture
8 Trumpet
SWELL
16 Lieblich Bourdon
8 Open Diapason
8 Viol di Gamba
8 Voix Celestes
4 Principal
III Mixture
8 Horn
8 Oboe
4 Clarion
CHOIR
8 Stopt Diapason
8 Dulciana
4 Principal
4 Flute
2 Piccolo
8 Bassoon Bass
8 Clarinet
PEDAL
16 Open Bass
16 Sub Bass
8 Principal Bass
8 Flute Bass
16 Trombone
8 Trumpet
Couplers: 5 unison (no Choir to Great).
5 composition pedals.
Trigger pedal to Swell.
Tubular-pneumatic action.
West-gallery.
In 1937-9 the organ was rebuilt by Cedric Arnold for the new church of St. Paul, Arbourthorne
Estate. A new action was fitted, a new detached console installed in the chancel (the
pipework was on the west gallery) and tonal changes made. The stoplist, taken from 'Musical
Opinion', January 1956, was now as follows:
GREAT
16 Double Diapason
8 Open Diapason 1
8 Open Diapason 2
8 Viola
8 Stopped Diapason
4 Principal
4 Lieblich Flute
2 2/3 Twelfth
2 Fifteenth
III Mixture
8 Tromba
SWELL
16 Lieblich Bourdon
8 Open Diapason
8 Gedackt
8 Viol di Gamba
8 Voix Celeste
4 Principal
III Mixture
16 Contra Oboe
8 Trumpet
4 Clarion
CHOIR
8 Rohr Gedackt
8 Echo Gamba prepared for
8 Dulciana
4 Rohr Flute
2 2/3 Nazard prepared for
2 Piccolo
8 Clarinet
PEDAL
32 Acoustic Bass
16 Open Diapason
16 Bourdon
8 Principal
8 Flute
16 Trombone
8 Trumpet
Couplers: 6 unison; Swell and Choir 8ve, unison off & sub8ve;
Swell to Great 8ve & sub8ve.
Thumb pistons: 5 Great, 5 Swell, 3 Choir.
3 composition pedals.
Balanced pedal to Swell.
Compass: 61/30.
Electro-pneumatic action.
Wind pressures: Choir 3in.; Tromba/Trombone unit 7in.; rest 3 1/2in.
1898 pipes plus 122 prepared for.
The Sheffield church closed and the organ was brought to Wingerworth in 1975. It was found that
the (modified) Snetzler case fit in the chamber provided some ten years earlier with 1/8in.
to spare. The Great was reduced by three stops, the Swell by one stop, the Choir was re-named
'Positif' and was remodelled, the Acoustic Bass was discarded and a 4ft. flute added to Pedal.
The installation was by J. Poyser (Derby) and the current stoplist is as follows:
GREAT
8 Open Diapason
8 Stopped Diapason
4 Principal
4 Lieblich Flute
2 2/3 Twelfth
2 Fifteenth
II Mixture 19.22
8 Tromba
SWELL
16 Lieblich Bourdon
8 Open Diapason
8 Gedackt grooved
8 Viol di Gamba tc
8 Voix Celeste tc
4 Principal
III Mixture 15.19.22
16 Contra Oboe
8 Trumpet
(4 Clarion) stop-tab covered
Tremulant
POSITIF
8 Rohr Gedackt
8 Dulciana grooved
4 Gemshorn
4 Stop Flute
2 2/3 Nazard
2 Piccolo
1 3/5 Tierce
8 Tromba Great
PEDAL
16 Open Diapason
16 Bourdon
8 Principal ext.
8 Bass Flute ext.
4 Octave Flute ext.
16 Trombone
8 Trumpet ext.
Couplers: 6 unison; Swell 8ve, unison off & sub8ve; Swell to Great 8ve & sub8ve.
Thumb pistons: 5 Great, 5 Swell, 5 Choir, General Cancel.
Toe pistons: 4 Pedal, Great to Pedal on, Great to Pedal off.
Pistons adjustable by switches.
Balanced pedal to Swell.
Compass: 61/30.
Electro-pneumatic action.
The only surviving Snetzler pipework is reputed to be included in the Stopped Diapason and Principal on Great, and the Open Diapason (originally on Great?) on Swell. None of these stops is outstanding tonally.
The detached stop-tab console is at the rear of the nave on the north side, and the organ speaks out freely from its chamber in the west wall. On my visit in 1991, knowing the pedigree and history of the instrument, I was looking forward to something special. Frankly, I was disappointed. There is obviously some good material here, but tonally much of it is irregular and undistinguished, and the various ensembles lack real cohesion and impact.
The Open Diapason on Great is a big stop, which I was told had been rescaled by two notes in order to obtain a fuller tone. The Principal is gentle and breathy in comparison, while the Twelfth and Fifteenth are both obtrusive. The quint rank in the mixture is much too prominent. This is not a chorus but a group of individual sounds fighting for dominance. The Stopped Diapason is woody and full-toned. The Lieblich Flute abruptly changes its timbre at tenor C, suggesting that old pipes were re-used. Its tenor octave is good. The Tromba is a loud, semi-soloistic stop, quite free-toned, quite good.
On Swell, the Open Diapason has a hard tone. Together with the Principal the timbre is mild and warm; add the Mixture and the intrusive quint rank spoils the combination; the effect is crude. The Gedackt is good from tenor C upwards; the strings are undistinguished. The Contra Oboe is irregular and too soft. The Trumpet is raucous and the full swell effect is unbalanced.
On Positif the Rohr Gedackt is an undistinguished voice. The Dulciana is a quiet, coughing diapason. The Gemshorn is pleasantly stringy, though the Stopt Flute is unmemorable. The Nazard is a stopped rank; the Fifteenth creates pretty ensemble effects. The Tierce is a poor thing; at treble C it breaks back an octave and does so again at high C. Some pleasant small choruses are possible on this division.
On Pedal the Open Diapason is surprisingly quiet, while the Bourdon coughs. The Trombone is splendidly vulgar, but disappointingly irregular in speech.
I may have been harsh in my assessment of this organ, but I found too much that was half-hearted or ineffective to come away with the impression of anything other than a utilitarian, middle-of-the-road church workhorse. I would love to have found otherwise, and I hope that at some time the church will be able to find the money to have the action renewed (it is getting sluggish) and the whole instrument tonally rebalanced and, where necessary, revoiced. I am sure that a fine instrument is hiding in there somewhere.
The origin of the organ is uncertain; the Willis archives note it as the work of I. Abbott 1866, while the Shapley directories give Abbott & Smith 1886. Neither can be entirely correct: Abbott did not establish his business until 1869, three years after the former date, and the firm was not known as Abbott & Smith until after Abbott's death in 1889, three years after the latter date. The organ was enlarged by Keates in 1930, or by an un-named builder in 1902, depending on which source you trust. Here is the stoplist as noted in the Willis archives in 1964:
GREAT
8 Open Diapason
8 Hohl Flute
8 Dulciana
4 Principal
4 Lieblich Flute
2 Fifteenth
8 Clarinet on a clamp
SWELL
8 Open Diapason
8 Gedact
8 Salicional
8 Celeste
4 Gemshorn
2 Fifteenth
8 Cornopean
8 Oboe
Tremulant
PEDAL
32 Harmonic Bass
16 Bourdon
8 Bass Flute
Couplers: 3 unison; Swell 8ve & sub8ve; Swell 8ve & sub8ve to Great.
Composition pedals: 3 Swell, 3 Great; Great to pedal reversible.
Compass: 58/30.
Pneumatic action.
Wind pressure 3 1/4in.
In 1964 Willis recommended essential restoration work, and also suggested two tonal changes.
Nothing came of this, and it must have been around this time that the organ was removed
from the church. A Hammond instrument was substituted.