ORGAN OF THE MONTH 66: December 2007
St
Mark's, Londonderry, Smethwick |
|||
| 
| 
| |
|
|
Click on the thumbnail to obtain a full-size image | ||
The history of this small but delightful instrument is unclear (please contact the website if you know more). It was originally built by J Halmshaw & Sons of Camp Hill in about 1856 and was moved to its present location in about 1990 (from a hospital of unknown location) as part of the church's refurbishment. It replaced an even smaller, seven-stop, Nicholson organ.
It is situated on the East wall of the church in a space previously occupied by the altar. Although the pedal action has been electrified, mechanical action has been retained elsewhere, and this is now rather heavy. There are two hitch down levers that control combination stop action for the Great, but there are no playing aids for the Swell and Pedal divisions. The Pedal stops operate from tabs in front of the organist, but both Great and Swell divisions use conventional drawstops.