Chamber organs
Paul Hale discusses the two small organs in the Nave since 1959. Featured in a publication by The Friends of Rochester Cathedral.
In that year pr Ashfield procured a chamber organ, built possibly in 1774 by Argent of Colchester for the house of the organist of West Malling church. This organ was later removed to Ditton Court and thence to the West gallery of Ditton church, until Kingsgate Davidson and then by Harvey of Maidstone. In October 1959 J. W. Walker lit Browne removed it to the chancel in 1 Ba. subsequent bey as so airwinealer estimated £248 for rewiring and repalletting it, removing it to the cathedral, placing esina movable platform, and fitting it with a blower, tuning slides and a light.
As found, the stop called 'Flute 4ft actually drew at 2ft pitch, so Dr. Ashfield invited Walkers in 1960 to transpose the Fifteenth into a Twelfth (for £24) leaving the specification as follows:
Open Diapason - 8ft - 46 pipes
Stopped Diapason - 8ft - 57 pipes
Principal - 4ft - 57 pipes
Twelfth - 2⅔ft - 57 pipes
Piccolo - 2ft - 57 pipes
The Open Diapason is a later substitute for an original Sesquialtera. When, in the early 1970s, Dr.Ashfield wanted to spend £300 on the instrument, the Chapter decided to sell it rather than incur the expense.
In 1984 Paul Hale and Trevor Lee (an Old Chorister from Bennett's day and an active supporter of the Choir) bought an organ in a completely derelict, dismantled and almost unrecognisable condition. They discovered that it was a one-manual "Chancel Model" built by Bevington of London in the 1860s. They restored the instrument and fitted it with an internal blower to supplement the hand or foot pumping equipment. Professional organ-builders completely rebuilt the soundboard and releathered the bellows and feeder. The original tenor C Dulciana 8ft was replaced by the Fifteenth 2ft from the near-contemporary Gray & Davison organ in St. Faith's Church, Maidstone; the case pipes were decorated to match those in the Scott cases of the main organ. The specification is:
Open Diapason - 8ft - 47 pipes
Stopped Bass - 8ft - 12 pipes
Stopped Treble - 8ft - 42 pipes
Principal - 4ft - 54 pipes
Fifteenth - 2ft - 42 pipes
The Bevington had evidently travelled, and had last been used in a hospital chapel in London, restored by N.P.Mander Lid who substituted a 'Stopped Treble' for the original Clarabella, and replaced the ivory stop-labels with new ones. The organ was fitted with a movable base and stood in the Nave against the Lady Chapel wall from Christmas 1985. When the main organ was being rebuilt, it was used, via the cathedral loudspeaker system. to accompany the daily services of the King's School.
The chamber organ in 2021 before being moved to the Lady Chapel.
In 1989 Barry Ferguson purchased the organ and presented it to the cathedral in memory of his first wife Marjorie, who had died in December 1987.
Paul Hale
Southwell, October 1989
From The organs of Rochester Cathedral, 1989, published by The Friends of Rochester Cathedral.
Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Reports
The Friends of Rochester Cathedral were founded to help finance the maintenance of the fabric and grounds. The Friends’ annual reports have become a trove of articles on the fabric and history of the cathedral.