We are grateful to Stephen Alliss, Head Tuner at Harrison & Harrison, for the following information about the Chapel organ, which is being restored over the long vacation.
The Harrison & Harrison (H&H) organ in the College Chapel was built in 1938 and was regarded as a ‘new’ instrument. It contains 1,406 pipes and is housed in a case of American walnut, which was designed by Walter Tapper. Arthur Harrison, who was the head of the firm at the time when the order was placed, was a resourceful man who had respect for quality work from the past and so the better parts of the previous instrument (by Henry Willis) were recycled and appear in the instrument that exists today. One of the soundboards (the Great) and 576 of the pipes were from the previous Chapel organ and a further 13 pipes were reused from the old organ at Westminster Abbey, where H&H had built a new instrument in 1937. Wind for the instrument comes from a centrifugal fan which is located in the cellar of the room on the opposite side of the chapel passage.
Most of the pipes are of the usual round or square design but one stop, the Choir Wald Flute, is actually triangular in shape, a design which was in favour with H&H and a few other organ builders at the time.
One of the organ builders involved with the current work is the grandson of one of the staff who worked on the 1938 instrument and can trace the progress of the construction through the diaries that are in his possession.
The cornice of the casework contains the names of the decorators who have worked on the case as well as those of the organ builders who have been involved in the various works that have taken place since the installation of the organ. Once the scaffolding comes down these will remain out of sight until the next major work is undertaken — probably in 25–30 years.
The refurbishment of the organ is due to be completed by Michaelmas Term 2020. Applications for the organ scholarship 2021 and 2022 are welcomed: see details about the organ scholarship here.
