It was in September 2024 when we had an enquiry from Caius Lee (Director of College Music) at Worcester College Oxford, regarding the purchase of a new custom-built Chamber Organ for the college chapel. A visit was arranged to our showroom to experience our own chamber organ which is used for rental purposes. Here, we were able to talk about the instrument, understand the needs of the college, and explain the many options available from choice of keyboards to design of the casework etc.
Presented with simply a few photographs of the chapel’s woodwork and decoration, we sat down and drew up a design to complement the aesthetics of the interior as best as we could. We particularly nodded to the gorgeous wooden dentils found all through the chapel furniture, and otherwise, simplicity was deemed key! A handsome red cloth was chosen as a covering for the front of the organ, to hide the interior whilst still allowing the sound to bloom.
The order was placed in May 2025. In the meantime, it was agreed that our hire instrument be loaned to the college whilst their instrument was being designed and built.
An interesting specification for the Chamber Organ
Working with Caius Lee, a delightful and interesting specification for the chamber organ was chosen, found below:
8’ Gamba
8’ Stopped Diapason
4’ Principal
4’ Flute
2’ Principal (Bass)
2’ Principal (Treble)
and engraved neatly onto custom hand-turned stops.
The organ has a reverse-coloured keyboard made by UHT – the finest model available for maximum comfort and quality of touch. It is also fitted with a pre-set transposer switch to allow easy switching between modern or Baroque pitch.
In addition, the instrument has a retractable keyboard and music desk, for convenience of storage when not actively in use, and has two carefully carved wooden brake pedals, so that it may be easily moved around the building to suit the needs of the college. Also, at the college’s request, we built a small bench to complement the organ, should the player desire to use one.
Inside, the organ’s sound is produced on six channels of audio – averaging one per stop! – for maximum faithfulness. The organ is outfitted with special intimate voice models, constructed and fine-tuned specifically for the chamber organ by Richard Lowe.
Below are some photos of the construction process, particularly showing off the fine craftsmanship of our colleagues over at Renatus.
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.
