Mansfield Woodhouse, St Edmund’s

2008: rebuild and repositioning of two-manual and pedal Willis organ, with mobile detached console, using the original case, 20 stops.

St Edmund’s was fortunate to be home to an 11-stop mechanical Henry Willis instrument, installed in the late 1980s from a church near Kendal in Cumbria. We were called in as the organ was giving problems. Issues arose from heat-related faults but the main problem was the severe infestation of woodworm which was making the organ unsafe.

There was a need for a rethink. The pipes were all excellent but the woodworm-infested timbers had to go. The church was considering an electronic organ, as the Willis was bulky and blocked out light from the large window. We were able to devise a scheme, using our modular design, to overcome all the problems and create a reliable, compact instrument with greater versatility.

This is Paul Hale’s in-depth article about the St Edmund’s organ in Organists’ Review.

Specification
Great
Open Diapason (A) 8
Hohl Flute (B) 8
Lieblich Gedackt (C) 8
Principal 4
Open Flute (B) 4
Fifteenth 2
Mixture 19.22
Cornopean (D) 8
Swell to Great
Swell suboctave to Great
Swell
Lieblich Gedackt (C) 8
Echo Gamba (grooved) 8
Voix Celeste 8
Gemshorn (E) 4
Nazard (C) 2 2/3
Fifteenth (E) 2
Piccolo (C) 2
Cornopean (D) 8
Tremulant (to whole organ)
Swell Octave
Pedal
Bourdon (B) 16
Principal (A) 8
Bass Flute (B) 8
Fifteenth (A) 4
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Gt & Pedal Combs
Accessories
6 thumb pistons to Great
6 thumb pistons to Swell
6 thumb pistons to Pedal
6 general pistons
reversible thumb piston Sw-Gt
reversible thumb piston Gt-Ped
reversible toe piston Sw-Gt
reversible toe piston Gt-Ped
general cancel piston
setter piston
Melodic Pedal (piston)
Midi in/out/through
Recording facility
standard capture system for divisional and general pistons with 12 memory levels