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Author: Matt Dixon
Birmingham Conservatoire Bernard Edmonds Research Conference 2025
Saturday February 22nd 2025 – 10.30 for 11.00 The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200, Jennens Road, Birmingham B3 7XR The Bernard Edmonds Research Conference took place in February at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. We were most grateful to Daniel Moult, Head of Organ Studies (and BIOS member) for arranging this. Our meeting was in a seminar…
Winchester College West RIP Dr Christopher Kent BEM and David Wickens
BIOS Council is sorry to hear of the deaths of two long-standing members, David Wickens and Dr Christopher Kent BEM. David was BIOS Archivist for many years and the publisher of important books on Samuel Green and the intricacies of pipe-scaling. Christopher was an Elgar scholar and founder of the Organ Historiography Course at the…
Holdich’s now-lost organ for ‘[St Oswald’s’] Malpas, Cheshire’, opened 21st November 1841 Holdich’s book of watercolours
BIOS has recently purchased a document for the British Organ Archive. It is an album of ephemera relating to the work and life of George Maydwell Holdich (1816-1896), including specifications, watercolours and letters, etc. The watercolours are finely executed, showing interesting detail. They cover the period 1838 to 1845. It is not clear exactly what…
Christ Church, Spitalfields Restoration Successes
Christ Church, Spitalfields, London Nicholas Hawksmoor’s monumental church houses Richard Bridge’s equally impressive organ of 1735. This famous instrument was the largest organ in England at the time of its construction. Neglected and out of use for many years, the organ has been stripped of Victorian accretions and restored to its original glory. The work…
St Mary, Portsea Pipework, Console and Fittings
Pipework Damaged pipes should be carefully repaired, always by an expert pipemaker. Replacements for missing pipes should be made of similar materials and to similar details of construction as the original. The original means of tuning should be preserved where this survives. If it does not survive, it may be restored provided that this requires…
St Michael & All Angels, Great Witley Care and Conservation
Well-made organs will give excellent service for many years provided they are properly cared for. It is not uncommon to find organs functioning efficiently after a century or more, with only occasional cleaning and minor repairs. An organ is a valuable resource. The following pages suggest which instruments may be worthy of preservation, and indicates…
St Mary, Portsea Pipe Markings – David C. Wickens
This collection of pipe marking scripts begins a series of utility publications which, it is hoped, will be of use to those studying the history of pipe organ technology. As more sample scripts become available from field workers, further collections will be published.
St Ethelbert, Falkenham Organ Registrations of the 18th Century
The following list of charts is referenced to the article in the BIOS Journal. Volume 36 and should be read in conjunction with that volume.
Christ Church, Spitalfields Recently Saved Historic Organs at Risk
The Historic Organs at Risk Register is designed to augment Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for historic buildings. For more information, visit The Historic Organs at Risk Register. Thaxted Parish Church, Essex The Henry Cephas Lincoln organ in Thaxted Church is the earliest surviving English church organ that retains all its original parts. It was built…
Holdich’s Great Exhibition organ (1851), now at St Mary's, Wiveton, Norfolk Recent Historic Organs at Risk
The Historic Organs at Risk Register is designed to augment Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for historic buildings. For more information, visit The Historic Organs at Risk Register. All Saints’ Church, South Pickenham, Norfolk Listed Grade I By George Dawson of Cambridge 1857, voiced by Zimmerman of Bruges with casework by Bethune of…