Friends of the Lord Mayor's Chapel Organ Appeal

The Organ at The Lord Mayor's Chapel supports a centuries-old tradition of choral singing. It is at the heart of the Chapel's musical life.

Time has taken its toll on the instrument's fabric and it now requires restoration work. Emergency stabilising work to the organ's case requires a more permanent solution and the opportunity arises to deal with replacing worn-out parts and cleaning and restoring the organ's pipework. John Marsh, the present Director of Music at the Chapel, summarised the situation as follows:

"The organ last received a major overhaul in the 1962, although some remedial work was done in 1978. We must provide a musical instrument which will sustain and enhance the music and worship at The Lord Mayor's Chapel, in order to provide continuity for this ancient tradition we have been so fortunate to inherit. Our forbears provided continuity for us, and so now it our turn to play our part and invest in the future of music in this glorious place."

Originally the work of the well-known Bristol organ-builders John Smith and WG Vowles, the instrument will require a programme of work involving a complete mechanical overhaul of the organ and replacement of worn-out parts. Specifically:

• The soundboards, which were constructed of solid timber in the nineteenth century, have been subjected to the ravages of the heating system; it is now time to accept that they have played their useful part and replace them with modern equivalents capable of coping with today’s fluctuating humidity levels;
• The bellows, the instrument’s lungs, which hold the wind supply, require re-leathering and remedial work;
• The pipes are very dirty; they need to be cleaned and the speech reset; the organ’s tone needs to be carefully restored to allow effective and beautiful blend of the fine Smith pipework from the 1830s with the later additions in the 1870s and 1960s;
• The casework, with its Victorian stencil-work by Vowles of Bristol which is worthy of restoration, requires a permanent solution to structural issues which have been temporarily stabilised.

Tenders for works to the organ are currently being sought; contractors will be chosen on the grounds of artistic merit, integrity and economy. The work will take about nine months to complete, although we need to find the funds to enable the work to commence.

If you would like to contribute to this Appeal, please send a cheque made payable to 'Friends of the Lord Mayor's Chapel' to:

John McLaren,
The Chairman,
Friends of the Lord Mayor's Chapel,
Flat 1,
201a Cheltenham Road,
Bristol
BS6 5QX