This E G Paley church had an organ provided by Sheffield based builder, Brindley & Foster in 1884. It was then enlarged by them in 1911 and remains substantially unchanged. We will be welcomed by resident organist, Mark Brocklebank, who will demonstrate the organ for us. Please note the slightly later start time for our meeting as there is a service earlier in the evening.
The church is on Market Street, Little Lever, BL3 1HH and the organ details are
at N00810. This will be a joint meeting when we will welcome members of the Manchester Organists' Association.
We attempted this gathering last year but temporary circumstances meant very few could manage to attend and it was cancelled. We're optimistic that this year, we might do better so are proposing once more to meet at the Ridgeway Arms in Blackrod. It is just 300 yards from Blackrod Station on the Bolton-Preston-Blackpool North line and as usual for these events, booking with the secretary is necessary.
In 2023, secretary Melanie Plumley delivered a talk on Curious Organs as a filler item for the BDOA annual general meeting. There wasn't time to include all the material relevant to the many varieties of our instrument she wanted to feature, so this will be an expanded version of the event. Retitled 'Organs of the world' might suggest there are some not quite of this world and perhaps that is true!
St Paul's, Halliwell is home to an important historic survivor, carrying the maker's plate of Sarah Renn, wife of Samuel. This highly original organ has obvious similarities to the well known examples at Gt Budworth and St Philip's, Salford and there is little wonder it has a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate. It awaits a restoration project and the pedals are not presently in operation. Full details are at N10666.
The church (not to be confused with the adjoining parish with the same dedication!) is on Halliwell Road, Bolton, BL1 8BP. Although we always welcome visitors, this event will also figure in the advertised programme of the Manchester Organists' Association and we look forward to them being with us.
This 1840s 'pot church', so called because of the extensive use of terracotta including for pew ends and infills, is at Lever Bridge on Radcliffe Road, Haulgh, BL2 1NZ.
The organ appears to be the original one, built by Bishop & Son of London and though the case is of carved wood, it is painted to match the terracotta. Although minor tonal modifications may have been made, it is largely original and retains the unusual feature of having the Great to Pedal coupler duplicated on both stop jambs.
The organ by Bishop & Son is not yet listed on the NPOR
Eight members gathered to explore the organ of Christ Church. The building dates to 1896 and the present organ has Willis roots but had a Hill Norman & Beard rework. It is a good few years since the BDOA previously visited the church, perhaps an oversight for a significant instrument well within Bolton's boundaries.
The church is on Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 5AH. Organ details are
at D07688.
Our first meeting of the Autumn session was at the rebuilt church with its 2023 organ. We visited here last year as part of a joint event with organists from all over NW England but the crowd meant there was no time for everyone to explore this exciting instrument for themselves. This time it was a small group of only six BDOA members and some visitors.
Henry Groves & Son of Nottingham created this organ using vintage
Nicholson pipework, a new Tuba on 12" wind from Booths of Leeds and Groves
own direct-electric action soundboards. The total of 52 stops are
controlled from a 3 manual moveable low-level terraced detached console
built by Renatus of Bideford.
The church is on Ascension Road, Salford, M7 1AG and organ details are
at S00179.
As in other recent years, in July we had a joint summer trip with the Oldham, Rochdale & Tameside Association. Unlike other times, this was not a coach trip but a more local one with members making their own way for a start at Blackburn Cathedral. Our host was Organist in Residence, John Hosking.
He demonstrated the cathedral's 1969 Walker organ, designed by John Bertalot and Francis Jackson and enhanced in 1994 by David Wood. The full details canbe found at A00531.
Members then lost no opportunity in exploring the organ for themselves. The cathedral also houses the Checks & Greys café where we took lunch.
After the cathedral, it was a short distance to Preston New Road on the west side of Blackburn to St Silas Church, where, other than minor changes, the organ is in essence an early 20thcentury Harrison & Harrison. The organ details are at N01640 and we were welcomed by resident organist, David Brindle.
A dozen members were welcomed to the church in Daubhill (pronounced "Dobble" locally) in Bolton by resident organist, Peter Barnes, his family and also the minister. Peter explained the history of the instrument which was built in the 1960s by his grandfather, 'Frank' Barnes. It was a hybrid from the start, using parts from several obsolete local organs and a console from Northern Ireland. The development of the instrument continued in the hands of his son, David, who we were sorry to learn had been looking forward to our visit but didn't survive long enough to be there.
Peter demonstrated the organ which had its latest enhancement about ten years ago when the pedal section was expanded with the addition of some digital stops provided by local company, Phoenix, making it truly a hybrid in the modern sense. The Choir action is in need of renovation but the addition of the Phoenix technology has allowed a toggle switch to engage either the pipework, or digital alternatives which include a forceful Tuba on the Trumpet stop tab. The organ's overall effect is of fine delicate colours when played quietly as well as plenty of assertive power when required. Members then explored the organ for themselves, breaking off to enjoy not only tea and coffee but a fine selection of cakes that the church had provided.
After an absence
of five years, we returned to St Bart's in Westhoughton. After an
uneventful AGM at 2:00 pm, we were treated to a public recital at 3
pm by resident organist Edward McHale. At 4pm the church provided a
diverse range of refreshments.
This was a timely schedule as 20th April was also the day designated by
the Royal College of Organists as 'World Organ Day', a time for every
possible celebration of the organ.
The 1995 Nicholson organ is part of the post-fire rebuild scheme. Organ
details on the NPOR are found at D02707 and the church is on Church Street,
Westhoughton, BL5 2BG.
Six members
and two guests met at the church where the BDOA Secretary welcomed
everyone and provided an introduction to the organ demonstratin using
a Bach chorale prelude followed by an improvisation on the same tune to
explore some of the other sounds. There was general appreciation of the
convincing nature of the Content Mondri M5400, though perhaps less so in
louder material.
The BDOA meeting yesterday was a joint one with the Oldham Rochdale and Tameside Association. Almost 30 members and friends gathered at Church Organ World in Shaw. MD Keith Harrington first welcomed us and provided an introduction to the company, its products and structure. Staff member Matthew Pearson then demonstrated a current Johannus Live.
A generous buffet lunch was provided by Church Organ World and several members purchased music and other items. Over lunch we were accompanied by music from the multiple organs, with some players using headphones so several could play simultaneously.
We then adjourned to the nearby Holy Trinity Church to hear a Makin organ in a church context.
We had hoped to again gather at the Ridgeway Arms in Blackrod, just 300
yards from Blackrod Station on the Bolton-Preston-Blackpool North line.
Unfortunately, many of us were not able to confirm attendance and so the event is cancelled.
We will look forward to our next meeting.
Half a dozen members gathered on a rather wet and obviously dark evening. We were joined by almost as many parish members to hear resident organist, Jenny Johnson tell us something of the history of the organ and and her succession in the role from her mother.
The secretary then provided some background to the history of the W.E. Richardson company which provided instruments to a number of churches in our area. Only a few have ot survived and Christ Church, Ainsworth has a nice little example of his work from 1908. Its details are in the NPOR at D03483. Other than routine cleaning and maintenance it is pretty original condition
The church is on Church Street, Ainsworth with a postcode of BL2 5RU.
The New
Jerusalem Church in Kearsley, Bolton has an eight rank Sixsmith organ from
1986. Although built as new for this building, the pipework came from the
J J Binns organ in the previous church building.
The church is at Charles Street, Kearsley, BL4 9DD and nine BDOA members were welcomed by organist and church secretary, Mrs Pauline Grimshaw who gave a short history of the buildings and their organs. We were joined by a good number of church members who seemed to appreciate the diverse music offered by the BDOA's players. The organ details are in the NPOR at R01103.
This was a joint event,
organised by the church who had invited members from all the IAO
Affiliated organisations in NW England to attend. The church roof and
interior was destroyed by arson in 2017 but has been rebuilt. Henry Groves
& Son of Nottingham have created a new organ using vintage Nicholson
pipework a new Tuba on 12" wind from Booths of Leeds and using their own
direct-electric action soundboards. The total of 52 stops are controlled
from a 3 manual moveable low-level terraced detached console built by
Renatus of Bideford.
Resident organist, Anthony Williams, was host and it provided an opportunity to catch up with friends from around N W England and perhaps to make new ones.
The church is on Ascension Road, Salford, M7 1AG and is just four minutes walk from bus stops supported by various services.