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ORGAN OF THE MONTH 66: December 2007

St Mark's, Londonderry, Smethwick
(Halmshaw 1856?)

Click on the thumbnail to obtain a full-size image

Specification

The history of this small but delightful instrument is unclear (please contact the website if you know more).  It was originally built by J Halmshaw & Sons of Camp Hill in about 1856 and was moved to its present location in about 1990 (from a hospital of unknown location) as part of the church's refurbishment.  It replaced an even smaller, seven-stop, Nicholson organ.

It is situated on the East wall of the church in a space previously occupied by the altar.  Although the pedal action has been electrified, mechanical action has been retained elsewhere, and this is now rather heavy.  There are two hitch down levers that control combination stop action for the Great, but there are no playing aids for the Swell and Pedal divisions.  The Pedal stops operate from tabs in front of the organist, but both Great and Swell divisions use conventional drawstops.

There is currently (Dec 2007) a vacancy for an Organist at the church: anyone interested should contact Alistair Barrett on 0121 429 1149.

 

 


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Last modified: November 30, 2007