The (late C19th?) Rushworth & Dreaper organ, St Mary Magdalene, East Ham, London
Chris took up the position of Organist of the 11th century church of St Mary Magdalene in January 2021.
This instrument is believed to have been built for a country house (or perhaps a large urban villa) and its dimensions and stop-list suggest that this is very likely. The frame sits on the floor of the church, though the console is on a dais. This might have been the original arrangement, too, but it is interesting to note that, rather than forming part of the façade, the largest few pipes of the Open Diapason are mitred and inside the case. This seems to suggest that console may originally have been at the floor level of the room, with the building frame sitting at a lower level (i.e. in a shallow pit) to accommodate the true height of the instrument. An unusual feature of the bench, which might also suggest a domestic location, is that, beneath the hinged seat, is space for the storage of music. The vertical panel of the chest section of the bench, immediately behind the organists' feet, is angled so as not to restrict movement when playing the pedals.
Sadly, the Rushworth & Dreaper archives were destroyed after the firm went into liquidation in 2002, so we may never know the place for which this organ was conceived, who commissioned it, or how it found its way to East Ham. A plaque on the side of the case states that it was installed [in St Mary's] in 1918.
In 2020 the organ underwent an extensive renovation by Harrison & Harrison of Durham. A video of the dismantling can be found here.
Click HERE for the link to the National Pipe Organ Register.
This instrument is believed to have been built for a country house (or perhaps a large urban villa) and its dimensions and stop-list suggest that this is very likely. The frame sits on the floor of the church, though the console is on a dais. This might have been the original arrangement, too, but it is interesting to note that, rather than forming part of the façade, the largest few pipes of the Open Diapason are mitred and inside the case. This seems to suggest that console may originally have been at the floor level of the room, with the building frame sitting at a lower level (i.e. in a shallow pit) to accommodate the true height of the instrument. An unusual feature of the bench, which might also suggest a domestic location, is that, beneath the hinged seat, is space for the storage of music. The vertical panel of the chest section of the bench, immediately behind the organists' feet, is angled so as not to restrict movement when playing the pedals.
Sadly, the Rushworth & Dreaper archives were destroyed after the firm went into liquidation in 2002, so we may never know the place for which this organ was conceived, who commissioned it, or how it found its way to East Ham. A plaque on the side of the case states that it was installed [in St Mary's] in 1918.
In 2020 the organ underwent an extensive renovation by Harrison & Harrison of Durham. A video of the dismantling can be found here.
Click HERE for the link to the National Pipe Organ Register.
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Chris's illustrated booklet
'A Short History of the Organs of St Mary Magdalene's, East Ham' may be downloaded here. |
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The pumping handle (right hand side, towards the back of the case) was reinstated by Harrison & Harrison in 2020, more for the sake of the completeness of the restoration of the instrument, than because it had been thought likely to be useful. In February 2021, however, when an electrical fault under the deprived the organ of wind, muscle power came to the rescue. The organ worked perfectly, winded as it had (presumably) been originally.
