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The Parish Church of All Saints' Stand, Whitefield

Organs

All Saints Church, Stand was consecrated on 8 September 1826 but an organ was not installed until late in 1827.

Samuel Renn 1827

Samuel Renn built the two manual and pedal organ, within an enclosing case in the West Gallery, sufficient in size to carry mainly congregational singing of the psalms and hymns.

During his working life, Renn built some 60 organs in Lancashire, 20 in Cheshire, a scattering of 8 in Yorkshire, 6 in Staffordshire and isolated examples in Lincolnshire, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Ceylon. This organ was one of his largest and remained in constant use until 1880.

Frederick Jardine 1880

In 1880 major modifications to the interior of the church were planned including the removal of the organ from the West Gallery to its present position in the North Aisle. Georgian box pews were removed from the Nave and Aisle and the rake of the galleries was increased. In order to extend the Chancel to accommodate Clergy and Choir stalls, the altar reredos and vestries were taken out and the altar repositioned against the East wall.

The organ was enlarged by the Manchester builder, Frederick Jardine, who added the Choir manual and three stops in the Swell organ. The original case was reused but with additional flats at each side to fill the arch opening on the North side. This was a remarkably versatile instrument which remained in good working order until 1956 when the Parish made a radical decision to remove both organ and case.

Charles Smethurst 1956

During 1956, Charles Smethurst installed a new organ, using only three of the Renn stops and four of the Jardine, with a new floor inserted at Gallery level to carry the instrument, the space beneath being fitted out as a Lady Chapel.

The organ virtually filled the floor space available, the console was placed in the South Gallery across the Chancel, although a large instrument it was difficult to tune and maintain. The ensemble was somewhat unbalanced and lacking in definition with too many soft stops and little harmonic development in the Great and Swell choruses, dominated by the Choir reeds, duplexed on the Pedal organ.

By the mid 1980's many mechanical defects had developed and the electro pneumatic action was failing, making the organ unreliable.

Early in 1995 it was agreed that the organ must be inspected and a scheme prepared to rebuild the instrument for its future role as a liturgical and recital organ.

Nicholson & Co 1996

The Firm of Nicholson & Co. were approached to carry out a report and to advise the Parish of the best way forward. Detailed inspection revealed that Charles Smethurst had based his organ on a 1913 Harrison & Harrison instrument, from a redundant church, utilising much of the pipework, soundboards and swell boxes, together with several stops from the Renn\Jardine instrument - this was a surprising revelation!

Gordon Thorne D.A.(Manc), F.R.I.B.A., formerly Organ Adviser to Manchester Diocese, acted with the Rector, Canon R.W.Warner,M.A., B.D., in agreeing a suitable specification with the tonal Director of Nicholson & Co., Mr. Dennis Thurlow.

The speech of much of the Harrison pipework had been altered to suit the blandness of the Smethurst tonal scheme, but Dennis Thurlow confirmed that he could re-intonate the pipework and re-voice the reeds to the original output. Extended ranks were removed, the Choir organ redesigned as an unenclosed division (in the English tradition) and new mixtures added to the Great and Swell to complete the brilliant choruses of the ensemble.

On 1 September 1996, the Bishop of Bolton formally dedicated the organ.

Stewart Barnet, website editor

Last revised 30th March 2005