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Cossall St Catherine

Organ

In the Meeting Book of Parishioners in March 1902 a proposal to start a fund for a new organ was carried unanimously. In April 1908 further reference was made to improving the organ, and in 1917 the Chairman said it required immediate attention. In 1918 he informed the meeting that a gift of £10 had been received towards the organ overhaul and renovation. In April 1919 it was minuted that ‘water leaking into the church roof was damaging the organ’.

In January 1930 the organ was again reported as requiring immediate attention. An estimate of £30 had been received for the renovation. Although the meeting agreed to the estimate and work should proceed at once, there is no evidence that it was carried out.

Correspondence between J W Walker & Sons Ltd, Organ Builders of Middlesex and the Rev. Richard Smart dated 3 August 1961 confirms the Parochial Church Council’s wish for Walker & Son to take over the care of St Catherine’s organ. Later correspondence from Walker & Sons dated 20 September 1961 confirmed that on inspection it was considered to be in a dirty and worn condition but soundly constructed. They confirmed an overhaul along the lines suggested would put the organ in good order for future years. The repairs required were quite extensive and the question of ‘worm-eaten’ Bourdon pipes and other worm eaten parts was mentioned. The organ was not included in the worm infestations treated during 1962. The whole of the work including carefully adjusting the mechanism, fine tuning and regulating the pipework to the satisfaction of the church authorities, was quoted at £538.

The Rev. Richard Smart confirmed in 1962 that the Church Council wished to accept the ‘First Aid’ repairs outlined in proposals provided the previous September, including treating ‘worm eaten’ parts, disconnecting the pedal organ and regulation of action mechanism and fine tuning of pipework. The charge was £24 but to be regarded as a temporary measure to keep the organ going until cleaning work could be undertaken.