ORGAN OF THE MONTH 09: March 2003
Town
Hall, Walsall |
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Last month, several BOA members attended a recital by David Briggs in Walsall Town Hall, where association member Peter Morris is the Borough Organist.
In 1908, the Walsall-based firm of Nicholson & Lord provided an organ for the recently completed Town Hall. It was a memorial to the late Queen Victoria and cost £2300 (equivalent to more than £1m today). The original organ had four manuals and 64 stops.
In 1937, a major rebuild was carried out by Compton, including a new electric action. The console was rebuilt with 100 stops. There followed further additions (to the Choir organ) in 1960. The most recent work, carried out in the 1980s by Hawkins and then by Mander at a cost of £120,000, included the addition of Tibias to add to the organ's versatility at civic functions! There are now more than 3300 pipes.