Summer wine organ restoration completed for St David's Day celebrations

On March 1 – St David's Day – a celebration of the restoration of the Conacher organ took place at St David's Church, Holmbridge, deep in Summer Wine country near Holmfirth in West Yorkshire.

The two-manual instrument had grown unreliable after nearly 100 years of use and an appeal was launched.

Built in 1887 by Huddersfield-based Conacher, it had been rebuilt in the 1930s, by Binns, Fitton and Haley.

This work saw the action change from mechanical to tubular pneumatic, the addition of inter- and intra-manual couplers, and an increase in wind pressure to make the exhaust pneumatic action work.

We decided to abandon the BF&H work and retain the Conacher specification. The blower was replaced by a reconditioned unit supplied and expertly fitted by Steve Lemmings. The bellows were taken out and re-leathered and the soundboards re-palleted using the split pallets from the Conacher installation.

The miles of lead tubing were discarded and new KA pull-down magnets fitted in their stead; this was seen as a move to reduce costs of re-leathering actions in the future. A new console insert was made to take the electrical solenoids and new keyboards.

Solid State Organs Systems provided us with the transmission and combination action, giving the church the facility to record and playback the organ. All was ready for the resident organist Jean Chadwick to give the opening recital .

Soon after, the restored instrument was used to accompany a performance of Haydn's The Creation by Holmfirth Choral Society. This is the Specification: Pedal: 1 Open Diapason 16, Bourdon 16, Octave 8, Bass Flute 8. Great: Bourdon 16, Open Diapason 8, Small Open Diapason 8, Stopped Diapason 8, Dulciana 8, Harmonic Flute 4, Principal 4, Mixture III, Fifteenth 2.

Swell: Violin Diapason 8, Rohr Gedact 8, Salicional 8, Celeste 8, Gemshorn 4, Piccolo 2, Cornopean 8, Oboe 8, Clarionet 8, Tremulant.