Church Organ
The organ was built by Alfred Hunter and Son of Clapham in 1907/08 at a cost of £1200; the oak case was added in 1912/13 purchased by the congregation at a cost of over £200. The organ has three manuals and pedals, 29 speaking stops, and tubular pneumatic action. The swell ranks are extended up by one octave for the swell octave coupler. Originally hand-pumped, electric blowing apparatus was added subsequently. Minor non-tonal alterations were made in 1959 by Binns of Leeds: these included the replacement of the pedal board with a radiating and concave one, new toe pistons, and the addition of a swell to great octave coupler. In the early 1970s the organ achieved the unusual distinction of being the first to feature in the Guinness Book of Records as one on which an organ marathon was played.
The organ remains in essentially original condition. Alfred Hunter maintained at the time that rarely, if ever, in the whole of his experience had he known a better church for sound, and he had never built an organ under more favourable circumstances as regards position and resonance. It is regarded as a fine instrument of exceptional tonal quality and an outstanding example of Hunter’s work.
The organ case is finely carved English oak, with intricate detail including two trumpet-playing angels; the keys and stop labels are in ivory, the pedal board is of a concave radiating design.
Restoration
This fine instrument has regularly accompanied our worship over the last 90 years, we have worked hard with regular tuning and maintenance to keep it good order but, by the end of the twentieth century the instrument had become increasingly unreliable, and it was taken out of service in 2004. A full restoration was carried out in 2008 by Nicholson & Co which brought the organ back into use at the end of its centenary year. No tonal, mechanical, structural or visual changes were made. A new internal blower motor in a soundproof cabinet was installed together with a humidifier to counteract the drying effects of the church heating system.
Bellows made using fine chamois leather control the operation of the organ; these vary vastly in size from the size of a purse to a large suitcase. The effect of time on the leather has meant that many of the bellows are split and no longer operate as was intended, with much of the air being lost.
Only once in its lifetime in 1959 has the organ undergone major cleaning and repair. Over the last 40 years airborne dust and grit have been deposited both on the outside of the case and in the delicate pipes. The constant movement of wind and dirt passing through the pipes has acted like a fine file that is slowly removing the inner surface of the pipe.
The air that produces the sound is transported around the organ in small metal tubes that have become brittle due to the many thousands of changes in temperature over the last 92 years. These pipes require urgent attention to ensure that the correct quantity of air is delivered to the action and coupling mechanisms.
The final cost of the restoration came to around £75,000, and as custodians of this instrument, we are committed to ensuring that it gives many more years of service and it can continue to be used and enjoyed by the congregation and community of Catford for services, concerts and special events.