St Nicholas Church
with St John and St Michael

The Organ

A new organ was installed in the church of 1826 together with the balconies, and was built by Messrs. Bewsher and Fleetwood, of Liverpool at a cost of £220. It was formally opened on Sept 17th 1826 by a Mr Ward of Manchester, Professor.

The first organist was one Edward Stott who was succeeded in 1830 by Mary Ashworth. The whole church had cost £2,500. On the Sunday following the consecration of the new church it was so full that many had to be turned away!

In 1864 the Church purchased a new organ for £435-9-0, from T H Harrison of Rochdale who had established himself in Rochdale in 1861. It was exhibited in Rochdale Public Hall prior to its installation in the church. The organist at this time was Mr Abraham Nuttall. In 1872 Harrison moved to Durham where Harrison and Harrison became the largest organ manufacturers in England, making organs for such places as the Royal Albert Hall, Durham Cathedral and Kings College Cambridge. The present day organ is essentially a Harrison Organ.

[see Harrison Organ website—catalogue: www.harrison-organ.co.uk]

In 1882 the Churchwarden accounts show a sum of £558-8-6 paid to Harrison and Harrison for 'rebuilding the organ.' The collection taken at the Organ Recital to mark its reopening was £56-9-0.  The organ was then serviced annually by Harrison and Harrison at a cost of £10-10-0.  In 1885 Harrisons were paid £36-5-0 for 'a new stop and works at organ.'  In 1888 it needed 'new springs' which together with tuning cost £13-5-0.

The organist in 1892 was paid £15-0-0 per annum whilst the organ blowers were paid £6-15-0.  Incidently, the singers were paid £26-17-0 and the Ringers £18-0-0

In May of 1893 the organ was repaired by Messrs Ginns, of London. In 1907  the three manual organ was restored and enlarged, painted and grained by Abbot and Smith of Leeds for £450, 'not including the gas engine,' and reopened by a recital on June 12^th by Dr H A Fricker, the Leeds City Organist and Chorus Master of the Leeds Festival.

 In 1947 the instrument was overhauled, cleaned and the pipes revoiced.  The organ was probably last played in 1974 at which time the decision was taken to purchase an electronic digital ALLEN organ for £3740. 

A fairly accurate list of organists since 1826 follows:

[still being researched] 

The wind organ specification is as follows:

 GREAT

Trumpet 8ft                             Fifteenth 2ft

Clarion 4ft                               Mixture 3 Ranks

Principal 4ft                             Lieblich Flute 4ft

Clarabella 8ft                           Stopped Diapason

Gamba 8ft                               Open Diapason 8ft

Double Open Diapason 16ft

SWELL

Open diapason 8                                   Lieblich Bourdon 16ft

Tremulant                                            Clarion 4

Oboe 8                                                Horn 8

Mixture 2 Ranks                                    Piccolo 2

Principal 4                                            Voix Celeste 8

Stopt Flute 4                                         Lieblich Gedacht 8ft

Salcional 8

 CHOIR

Clarionet 8ft                              Bourdon 16ft

Flageolet 2ft                             Open Diapason 16ft

Harmonic Flute 4ft                     Sub Bass 16ft

Dulciana 8ft Principal 8ft             Viol Da Gamba 8ft

Violin diapason 8ft                     Stopped Diapason 8ft

PEDAL

Bourdon 16ft                             Open Diapason 16ft

Sub Bass 16ft                            Principal 8ft

COUPLERS

Sw to Ped                                   Gt to Ped

Ch to Ped                                   Sw to Ch

Sw to Gt                                     Ch sub octave

Swell super                                 Swell sub

 

 

 

---