Lyndon Methodist Church Organ Refurbishment..Completed
Organ Refurbishment at Lyndon Background Lyndon Methodist Church is home to a thriving Christian community located in Solihull bordering on the Sheldon and South Yardley districts of Birmingham. The Church has 150 plus members and many more, from all faiths and none, associated through its youth organisations and community service activities. Central to a strong musical tradition is the church organ which is played by our regular organist Barry Davis and others. After almost 37 years of use at Lyndon it was essential to undertake some extensive refurbishment. The work has now been completed by Messrs M.C. Thompson, Organ Builders, and the organ will be rededicated on Sunday 3rd July 2016.
History The basis of the organ was the instrument in the former church of All Saints, Hockley, Birmingham, where it was built in 1885 by a local organ builder, J C Banfield. Since its installation at Lyndon in 1977 it had only undergone tuning and a few very minor repairs. This was an indication of the quality of the components in the original instrument and of the work which went into the rebuilding and modernisation. In recent years however there has been evidence of wind escaping from the sound boards and other problems requiring remedial action. In 2013 it was deemed essential to proceed with a full refurbishment and a small team came together to raise the necessary funding and manage the process. Fund-raising activities and donations from the congregation, grants from charitable trusts and a contribution from the wider Methodist Church enabled the work to be completed in May 2016.
The Work After competitive tender, the work was undertaken by M.C. Thompson Organ Builders Ltd., of Burton on Trent. Over 1,100 pipes were removed individually cleaned and all wooden pipes had their joints checked. The soundboards were removed and thoroughly overhauled. The bellows and regulators were cleaned and where necessary repaired. The console, including the pedal board, were stripped down to their component parts and refurbished as necessary. Finally the instrument was re-assembled, regulated and tuned. The cost of this major undertaking, which entailed the erection of scaffolding to support a platform of some twenty square metres from which to work, amounted to nearly 27,000. The outcome is an instrument which sounds good and, God willing, will be an asset to the congregation and the local community for many more decades.
Future Plans Developing the Players There is little point in refurbishing the organ for the long term unless we encourage and facilitate the training of young people in the skills of the organ-playing. It is intended to create opportunities to facilitate the training of students, for example by making the organ available for practice and rehearsal. There have already been visits by pupils from local schools to learn about organs and get some hands-on experience.
The Technical Specification of the Organ GREAT ORGAN SWELL ORGAN Open Diapason 8ft. Bell Diapason 8ft. Gamba 8ft.* Gedeckt 8ft. Dulciana 8ft.* Salicional 8ft. Stopped Diapason 8ft. Voix Celeste 8ft. Principal 4ft. Gemshorn 4ft. Wald Flute 4ft Fifteenth 2ft. Fifteenth 2ft. Nineteenth 1 1 /3ft. Mixture Three ranks Cornopean 8ft. Hautbois 8ft. PEDAL ORGAN ACCESSORIES Sub Bass 16ft. Great to Pedal ) Leiblich Bourdon 16ft Swell to Pedal ) Bass Flute 8ft. Swell to Great )Couplers Quint 5 1 /3ft. Great to Pedal ) Octave Flute 4ft. Pistons ) Trompette 16ft. Tremulant Swell Trompette 8ft. Four Pistons for each Department Balanced Swell Pedal
Technical Specification (Continued) PEDAL ORGAN The Pedal Organ consists of three basic ranks of pipes. A 54 note Lieblich Bourdon giving 16ft, 8ft, 5 1 /3ft, and 4ft pitches, a Sub bass 16ft and the Trompette 16ft and 8ft. This consists of 30 notes taken from the former Great Trumpet and a bottom octave of wood pipes. *Common base to both stops There are separate bellows for each department and the pedal reed. The pressures range from 8 to 2 5 /8 inches water gauge.
Acknowledgements We give our thanks to the many individuals amongst the congregation at Lyndon who have contributed to fund-raising through their initiatives and generosity. We especially acknowledge the generous donations received from charitable trusts and grant-making bodies, namely (in alphabetical order): Allchurches Trust Ltd. Birmingham Airport Community Trust Fund The Douglas Turner Trust Garfield Weston Foundation The Grimmitt Trust The Jarman Charitable Trust Midlands Co-operative Society The On Organ Fund The Sparkhill Trust Our thanks also to the craftsmen and others involved, notably Mike Thompson and his colleagues and Phil Reilly and his team of scaffolders.
Lyndon Methodist Church, Melton Avenue, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 7QX Minister: Rev David Alford; Tel: 0121 743 5608 www.lyndonmethodist.org Charity Reg: 1150167 Thank you for your interest and support