Kirtland & Jardine? c.1857 Worsley Manchester needs urgent rescue

[David Pinnegar]

Redundant Pipe Organ                                                         M0189
Kirtland & Jardine? c.1857

Worsley Methodist Church, Manchester UK
Barton Rd Manchester M28 2GX    SD 750 001

NPOR  D00309

2 manuals and pedals
11 speaking stops

Tracker action to manuals
Tubular Pneumatic action to pedals
Mechanical stop action

Compass          56/30

Dimensions
Width  c.10ft
Depth  c.10ft
Height c.14ft

There is uncertainty over the original builder. But it is likely that Kirtland & Jardine, Conacher and Jardine were all part of its history.

An 1830-50 case and a chalked "1857 Ogden" point to an old instrument. The brass plate screwed above the music desk records "F W Jardine. Manchester" and a cast bellows weight with "J Co." accords with a BOA Archive revealing a 2 manual 12 (sic) stop organ made for this church by Jardine in 1904.

The pedal rank, mounted at the rear, extends in wings to each side of the main case in a way that suggests the organ was brought to the church from elsewhere.

The instrument hasn't been used for more than 20 years and has deteriorated in that time. The reservoir leather is rotten and the twin inverted fold, double rise bellows do not rise. However, its singing tone was remarked upon in better days when the organ amply filled the chapel with attractive sound. It is possible to get some response from it now, revealing an unforced and blending tone.

The Great Stopped Diapason has a mild chiff, and the silvery tones of the Swell Flautina are appealing.






Great
Open Diapason           8
Stopped Diap. Bass    8
Stopped Diap. Treb     8
Dulciana                      8
Principal                      4

Swell
Rohr Gedact               8
Gamba                         8
Voix Celeste               8
Hohl Flute                   4
Flautina                       2

Pedal
Bourdon                      16

Swell to Great
Swell Octave to Great
Swell to Pedals
Great to Pedals

Blower stop – alerted the hand-blowing operator

2 composition pedals to Great
2 composition pedals to Swell

Balanced swell pedal

The drawstops and their layout are an unaltered unit, all of a piece, and includes a Blower stop (to signal the blower operator by knocking on a side case panel.) The stops are in square jambs and the Gothic stop head scripts are in black with red capitals.

The pedalboard, parallel and flat, appears to have replaced an earlier one, and a balanced swell pedal has been fitted.

Electric blower.

Hand pump handle and fitting, with feeder bellows, are still in place.

Metal pipes are slide tuned.

Chromatic soundboards.

Most of the display pipe flats are dummies; only the middle five pipes speak.

The organ is sited in the gallery at the east end of the building, and is reported to speak well into the church, and amply led the singing.

This organ is eminently worthy of restoration.


Enquiries about the organ from interested parties should be made to the church contact.

Buyer makes all arrangements for dismantling, packing and transport.

Care has been taken to provide accurate information but the seller is not responsible for errors.

Photographs of the interior are available on request to the sender (Graham Jones, g.mjones@btinternet.com).

The building, with organ, has been sold and is in the hands of an estate agent (See Contact below).

Contact:
sales@barlowwhite.co.uk