Ordsall
All Hallows

Organ

Prior to 1877 hymns were sung to a 'Wheezy harmonium and on special occasions the choirmaster produced a fiddle to add to the beauty of the church music.' The harmonium was bought in 1854 from Mr Blagg for £32.

The organ from
the choir		 The organ from
the south aisle

The organ was installed as part of the renovations of 1877. It is located on the south side of the chancel behind the choir stalls.

The organ is by Messrs. Brindley & Foster of Sheffield. A copy of the accounts for the restoration shows an outgoing of £305 12s 6d in payment to Messrs. Brindley & Foster for 'organ and carriage thereof' and Lamberts’s bill for fixing music shelf. The same accounts show the payment of 5s to the organ blower on the re-opening day of the church.

The organ contains: compass manuals, CC to G, compass pedals, CC to F: geduct, dulciana, principal, harmonic flute, twelfth, fifteenth, clarionet: swell: violin diapason, lieblick geduct, vox angelica, salicet oboe, trumpet:) *mixture, *double diapason: pedals: bourdon, violincello, *open dispason. In addition to the above there are three couplers, namely: swell to great, swell to pedal, great to pedal: and four composition pedals. The stops marked * were prepared for only, pending further funds becoming available.

It wasn’t until 1948 that funds were in place to provide an electric blower. By the end of June half the required £72 had been raised. The progress was recorded by a chart in the church porch. It consisted of a drawing of 72 organ pipes and as each £1 was raised, a pipe was filled in red. The new electric organ blower was used for the first time in August 1948. The kiosk in which the blowers used to sit was removed and traces of former occupants (carved initials), removed from the exposed panel. A new motor for the organ blower was fitted in 1973.

Further minor repairs and cleaning was carried out over the years, however, in 1963 it was reported that the organ was in need of a major overhaul. The work was eventually carried out in 1968 and cost £2,100 and was made possible thanks to a legacy of the late Mrs Metcalfe. This is recorded by a plaque above the keyboard. The work was carried out by Messrs. Willis & Sons. The action of the organ was completely overhauled. The manual keys were re-covered in ivory, a number of tonal changes were made and a new 'Willis' concave and radiating pedalboard was fitted. The exterior organ pipes were re-gilded and thanks to help from a local factory – 'British Ropes' – the ceiling above the organ pipes was covered with hardboard.

The organ remains in constant use at worship, weddings and funerals.