St. Helen's Church

Abingdon

The Organ

photo of organ by John Brennan

photo: John Brennan

The organ was originally made by Abraham Jordan, junior, of Southwark, London, in 1726. The interior mechanism and pipework did not last very long, for it was replaced in 1780; the loose partnership of John Byfield, John England and Hugh Russell, of Holborn, London, made a new organ, which they placed within the old case. In 1873 it was rebuilt by William Hill & Son, of London, but it remained essentially the instrument that Byfield, England & Russell had built — typically English in style, modest in sound but eminently musical.

The organ was thoroughly worn out by the 1920s and it was considered appropriate to replace the entire mechanism of the instrument. Thus, once again, a new organ was built within the old case. The work was undertaken by Harrison & Harrison, of Durham, in 1927. A substantial amount of the old pipework, dating back to 1780, was re-used (in an altered form), but the style of the instrument was quite different. It reflected the tastes of the early twentieth century — Romantic rather than Classical. Lt Col George Dixon, the leading authority in the first half of the twentieth century on the tonal design of organs, and a friend of Bromley Challenor (Abingdon town clerk, solicitor, churchwarden of St Helen's and principal benefactor of this work) advised on what should be done. The organ is, therefore, a classic example of what is sometimes termed a 'Dixon-Harrison' organ.

The work undertaken in 2004-2005 has been the restoration of the 1927 instrument, reversing tonal alterations made in 1971. This has involved the making of some new pipes, following the 1927 workshop instructions extant in the firm's archive, and the use of period pipework from a Harrison organ taken from a redundant Wesleyan church in Country Durham. The organ has been returned to its 1927 form in practically all respects.

The fine organ case, from 1726, has undergone preservation work. The upper half consists of the original carved front and panels; the lower half is new panelling replacing a motley of panels, some from 1726, some from 1873 — an arrangement that was a consequence of the removal of the organ in 1849 from its original gallery to the floor of an aisle with restricted headroom necessitating the lowering of the case by rearranging or replacing the lower panelling. The new panels are modelled on the old ones, and the remnants of the old ones are now used to cover the upper part of the case towards the rear.

The organ was placed in the St Katharine aisle in 1873, as part of the Victorian re­ordering of the church, near to where it now is, but facing across the chancel. In 1927 it was turned ninety degrees to face into the St Katharine aisle so as to project the sound more effectively into the church. It has now been brought forward six feet, clearing the beam that obscured its top, so that it is now fully exposed to view.

A history of the organ is available from The Friends of St Helen's, St Helen's Court, West St Helen Street, Abingdon OX14 5BS, priced £5.35 (inclusive of postage).

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This web page last edited 15 July 2006 by Martin and Catherine Kimber
(email mc at hamble dot eclipse dot co dot uk)