We are always very excited when the opportunity presents itself to rebuild an older electronic organ, whether it be one of our own, or from another builder. It’s even more interesting when we can add additional stops and facilities on the organists’ wish list which were not possible on the original instrument. Fortunately, our Physis technology is perfect for just such circumstances.
St Mary’s Mulberry Street – A hidden gem
It was back in October 2023 when we received an email from Nathan Jowett, organist at St. Mary’s, Mulberry Street, Manchester – a building with a stunning interior, known as the “Hidden Gem”. Their organ was a 3-manual analogue Makin from the early 1990’s which had ‘died’ earlier in the year. They were using a loan instrument as a temporary measure, and contacted us to see what we could offer in terms of either a new custom-built instrument or a rebuild of their existing Makin console.
After a thorough site visit and meeting with Nathan and Fr. Anthony, it was decided the best option would be to rebuild the Makin. Clearly, a rebuild meant that the Makin would be off-site for some time, and the existing loan organ could not stay longer. To bridge this gap, we loaned St. Mary’s a 3-manual Envoy 350FV (50 stop instrument). This was installed on the gallery in January 2024 and connected to the existing Makin speaker array, but with a new bass speaker added. The Makin console was removed at the same time, and its journey started back to our works in Bicester for stripping out, and then on to Renatus in North Devon for console refurbishment.
A new specification for the organ
We worked closely with Nathan on the new specification, which was mainly to augment the existing specification by adding additional complimentary stops. We were able to do this by moving the couplers (on draw stops) to a brand new coupler tab rail, which also allowed us to add sub and super octave couplers to the Swell.
By removing some controls we were also able to add 1 new stop to the Choir, 2 new stops to the Great, 1 new stop to the Swell and 1 to the pedal. This allowed the overall specification to increase from 39 speaking stops to 51. In addition, the piston rail layouts were redesigned, additional toe studs fitted, new keyboards fitted, and the whole woodwork of the console refurbished.
The refurbished console was installed back in the church in early October, with voicing undertaken over a period of 2 days by Richard G and Cassian. Currently, the organ is connected to the original Makin speaker array; but the plan is to eventually remove these speakers, and for us to replace them with a new audio system – comprising twelve channels and a bass – in around 2 years, to coincide with other building work in St. Mary’s. At that point, we will also undertake another round of voicing, and the installation will be well and truly finished. Fit for purpose for at least another 30 or so years!
Stop list: Before and After
| Pedal | Great | Swell | Choir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Open Wood | 32 | Contra Salicional | 16 | Geigen Diapason | 8 | Diapason | 8 |
| Open Wood | 16 | Open Diapason I | 8 | Lieblich Gedeckt | 8 | Hohl Flute | 8 |
| Violone | 16 | Open Diapason II | 8 | Echo Gamba | 8 | Dulciana | 8 |
| Bourdon | 16 | Concert Flute | 8 | Voix Céleste | 8 | Gedeckt | 8 |
| Echo Bourdon | 16 | Stopped Diapason | 8 | Principal | 4 | Principal | 4 |
| Octave | 8 | Principal | 4 | Stopped Flute | 4 | Chimney Flute | 4 |
| Bass Flute | 8 | Gemshorn | 4 | Fifteenth | 2 | Nazard | 2⅔ |
| Choral Bass | 4 | Wald Flute | 4 | Mixture | V | Block Flute | 2 |
| Contra Bombarde | 32 | Twelfth | 2⅔ | Contra Fagotto | 16 | Tierce | 1⅗ |
| Bombarde | 16 | Fifteenth | 2 | Oboe | 8 | Clarinet | 8 |
| Trombone | 16 | Fourniture | IV | Trumpet | 8 | Pontifical Trumpet | 8 |
| Trumpet | 8 | Trumpet | 8 | Tuba Mirabilis | 8 | Tuba | 8 |
| Clarion | 4 | Clarion | 4 | Clarion | 4 | ||
| Tremulant | Tremulant | ||||||
| Great to Pedal | Great to Pedal Combinations | Swell Octave | Swell to Choir | ||||
| Swell to Pedal | Swell to Great | Swell Unison Off | |||||
| Choir to Pedal | Choir to Great | Swell Sub Octave |
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Regent Classic Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
