DESCRIPTION kindly provided by A. J. Carter Organ Builder Ltd
This Instrument was built by Brindley in 1865 with a mechanical action throughout,
and is situated in an Alcove of the Chancel facing South.
It has an NPOR ref as HOO935
Brindley 1865
Mechanical Action throughout – Standard Pitch — Equal temperament
Manuals CCC – G 56 notes ( Swell Ten C )
Pedals CCC — F 30 notes
SWELL – Ten C Compass
Gemshorn 8ft
Lieblich Gedact 8ft
Gemshorn 4ft
Oboe 8ft
GREAT — Full Compass
Open Diapason 8ft
Stopt Diapason 8ft
Dulciana 8ft
Principal 4ft
Twelfth 2⅔ft
Fifteenth 2ft
PEDAL
Bourdon 16ft
Remarks by the Diocesan Organ Adviser – Terry Bennett
This organ was built in 1865 when Brindley was still a young man, and before his partnership with Forster, with whom he went on to build many fine organs up and down the UK.
In his earliest years Brindley assisted the German organbuilder Edmund Schultz on the erection of the Doncaster Minster organ, and it seems natural that he was influenced by the Germanic tonal colours of strong harmonically developed diapason choruses, which together with mutations
extended to at least 2 foot tone. This trend is seen in all early Brindley organs, and indeed this one, being very different from many of the rather “woolly“ toned romantic instruments being built by others at the time.
St James‘ organ appears on the NPQR register at No HOO935, it seems it was built for the original building, and although there is no firm evidence, I would guess it may have been on the gallery at the West end. The organ was moved at the turn of the 20th century to the North side of the new chancel,
presumably to support the choir in their new stalls. Although, mercifully, there were no tonal changes, the casework of the organ got rather “mangled” and at present it is rather difficult to work out with any
certainty what the original configuration of panels was.
Certainly it would have been free standing with at least side panels to screen the works.