ORGAN OF THE MONTH 40: October 2005
St James the Great, Shirley (Nicholson, c1880, 1996) |
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This modest instrument of 21 stops certainly makes a good sound in the generous acoustic of the parish church of St James the Great, just off the A34 in Shirley. This was especially true at BOA's 2005 Annual Service, when the organist was BOA ex-President Andrew Fletcher. The choir was directed by resident organist Kevin Gill, a member of BOA council.
Much of the pipework was second-hand, even at the time of its original construction in the 1880s, since when this Nicholson organ has been rebuilt twice. The last time was in 1996 at a cost of about £50,000, when the appeal for funds was supported by the Mayor of Solihull and Shirley Chamber of Trade. The elctro-mechanical action was replaced by modern solid state circuitry and the console relocated closer to the Choir.