Salisbury Cathedral
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Henry Willis 1876; Henry Willis & Sons 1934; H&H 1978/93.
The organ retains its Father Willis character and the main choruses are still cone-tuned.
Restoration, with new electro-pneumatic actions, conservative revision of the wind system and consolidation of the 1934 Pedal chorus
4 manuals, 65 stops
January 2019 – 2020
Specification
The pipework will be removed from the organ and cleaned. The reed pipes will be repaired, with detailed attention to the speech and regulation of these stops. The reed tongues will be secured and the starters for the 32ft reed basses will be overhauled and releathered. The speech and tone quality of the reed stops will be made even and the blend of the Solo Cor Anglais bass will be improved. Pipes showing signs of collapse will be repaired, and additional support will be provided. The Octave Viola 4ft extension will be removed and replaced with a Principal 4ft. The balance of the Pedal chorus will be reviewed to take account of this alteration. The regulating plugs for the Pedal basses will be labelled.
The speech and balance of the whole organ will be checked and re-set, and the organ will be tuned
Aug 2019
Andrew Fiddes voicing pipes from the 16ft Pedal Ophicleide
Feb/Mar 2019
Specification
The keyboards will be overhauled and reworked. The pedalboard will be overhauled and the sharps capped. New key and pedal contacts will be fitted. The pedal return springs will be reviewed and new contacts will be fitted. The alignment of the jambs and console top will be improved.
The security of the swell pedals will be checked, and new contacting will be fitted
Apr 2019
Feb 2019
Specification
The Swell soundboards will be repaired. The front Great soundboard will be remade to improve access to the faceboard. The remaining soundboards will be overhauled in the Cathedral. To accommodate the new Pedal Fifteenth we will install a new Pedal slider chest, and make space on this for the Pedal Flute 4ft.
Some of the chests will be reconstructed and their mechanisms simplified and the others will be overhauled.
The manual key actions will be replaced with new three-stage electro-pneumatic mechanisms. The present power motors may be retained, in which case they will be releathered. The unit chest actions, other than those listed above, will be overhauled and releathered. The drawstop actions, with the exception of that for the Pedal, will be overhauled and releathered. The Pedal drawstop action will be replaced by electric solenoids.
The shutter engines will be fully releathered and restored.
Sep 2019
Aug 2019
Jul 2019
Jun 2019
May 2019
Apr 2019
Mar 2019
Feb 2019
Specification
The layout and design of the wind system will be reviewed and revised with the aim of improving the flow of wind and eliminating inaccessible internal control valves. New reservoirs will be introduced where appropriate. All remaining reservoirs will be releathered. New external wind control valves will be fitted. The wind trunking will be revised and remade, with particular attention to areas of leakage due to failing joints. Wind trunking will be of either wood or metal, flexible trunking will not be used. The provision of wind-stabilising concussions will be reviewed and revised. All will be releathered or made new. The wind ventils will be retained and overhauled.
Jan 2020
Jul/Aug 2019
Jun 2019
Apr/May 2019
Mar 2019
Feb 2019
Specification
Electrics
The diode coupling system will be replaced with a processor based system, and the low-voltage wiring will be revised to accommodate this change.
The casework and front pipes will be cleaned, and the woodwork refurbished.
Structure and Swell boxes
The Choir soundboard will be relocated a little to the rear of the organ to improve access to the faceboard. The off-note conveyances and winding will be revised to accommodate this change.
Maintenance access throughout the organ will be reviewed and made safe by the provision of handrails and improved walk boards.
The swell-boxes will be checked and minor wear in the shutters and mechanism will be taken up.
Aug 2019
Click the link below to see photographs taken during the installation of the organ.
Link to Photos taken by Ash Mills©