The story of the pipe organ at St John's Wesleyan Church, Elsecar

 In the late medieval church of Haringhuizen, Holland, stands a classic English village organ from the 1840s.

 Around 1845 the Fifth Earl Fitzwilliam gave an organ to the old (Parish) church in Wentworth. So far no information of the timber used has been found in the archives of the Fitzwilliam family which was one of the four richest families in the UK. It is possible that this organ was made by G.F. Heald of Sheffield, as in 1850 they were asked by the Fifth Earl Fitzwilliam to make an organ for his own private chapel.

 1860 The upkeep of the organ was in the hands of Brindley and Foster of Sheffield.

 1873 A Bourdon 16′ was added to the pedals.

 1877 The Sixth Earl Fitzwilliam gave Wentworth a new village church where a Father Willis organ was placed. 

When the old church was closed for services and certain parts of it dismantled, the organ was given (actually it cost £30.00) to St. John’s Wesleyan Church in the nearby village of Elsecar. 
The organ was installed there probably by William Holt of Sheffield.

 1979 St. John’s Church was closed and the organ was bought by an organ buyer from Bala (Wales) and roughly broken up.

 1981 The organ was in a state of ruin before being bought by Gerard Verloop  of Schagen(Holland). Christopher C. Dickens, organ maker of Spofforth (Harrogate) was commissioned to restore the organ.

 1983  After restoration of the pedals was completed, the organ was placed in the church at Haringhuizen (Herv. Willisbrorduskerk) and repainted in the original colours.

Great Organ, GG-f ‘ ‘ ‘  Swell Organ, klein f-f ‘ ‘ ‘  Pedal, C-f ‘

Open Diapason  Open Diapason   Bourdon

Stopped Diapason  Stopped Diapason

Dulciana   Principal

Principal   Oboe

Twelfth  

Fifteenth   Manual coupler

Pedal Coupler

Swell

      ( Also see local newspaper articles)

EWW           1997

 

 

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