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Colchester Moot Hall Organ

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Organ Restoration at Harrison & Harrison, Durham

Gallery // January 12, 2015September 9, 2016 by Colchester New Music

These photos give a behind-the-scenes look at the workshop of the organ restorers Harrison & Harrison in Durham, as they worked on the Colchester Moot Hall organ during the Autumn and Winter of 2015. Click on the images to enlarge.

Photos by Dr William McVicker

Related

Wooden harmonic bridges on Viole stop
Viole d'Orchestre in voicing shop
Varnishing new pedal timbers
Various restored components
Valves being prepared
unusual wind mechanism to turn on and off the pneumatic action
Top quality leather waiting to be cut
Swell Soundboard
Swell and Pedal stops
Stop action trundles
Stop actions repair
Rohr Flute Stoppers 4
Rohr Flute Stoppers 3
Rohr Flute Stoppers 2
Rohr Flute Stoppers 1
Revarnishing pedals
Restored pneumatic action components
Reservoir stripped for releathering
Replacement material for sealing soundboard
Repairing soundboard
Repairing combination action
Repaired soundboard with pallets
Repaired chest
Releathered pallets in chest
Releathering motors at bench
Releathering reservoir
Releathering motors and fixing
Releathering an action motor
Releathered pallets in chest
Releathered action motors
Releathered action motors 2
Refurbishing a soundboard
Refelted chest and releathered pallets
Refacing the pedals with new timbers
Pneumatic chest awaiting testing
Piston action under restoration
Piston action awaiting restoration
Pipes stacked in trays
Pipemaker and voicers markings on New Viole d'Orchestre
Pipe maker and voicers markings 2
Pedal keys being restored and refaced
Pedal combination machine
Pedalboard stripped and refurbished
Pedalboard refurbishment
Octave couplers in pneumatic action
New Viole d'Orchestre in voicing shop
New Viole D'Orchestre for Choir Organ
New Viole d'Orchestre beards in treble
New valve seals
Newly releathered motors
New leather motors and pull down wires
New Harmonic Gemshorn 2ft with hole
New Harmonic Gemshorn 2 awaiting voicing
New Harmonic Gemshorn 2
new viole d'orchestre harmonic bridges
Morgan Signature March 1902
Morgan signature March 1902 1
Morgan signature March 1902 3
Members of Harrison Harrison team taking a break
Job label no 419 from 1902 production
Indecipherable script
How to releather a motor
Hot glue for releathering
Hot glue for releathering 1
Harrison Harrison workshop
Great to Pedal reverser mechanism restored
Great faceboard signed by Morgan
Great faceboard signed by Morgan 2
Great combination machine front
Great Combination machine
Great and Choir stops awaiting restoration
General scene repairing pedals and components
General scene in workshop
Fixing releathered motors in chest
Fixing releathered motors in chest 2
Fixing motors into chest
Drilling centres on seals
The drawstops awaiting restoration
The drawstops awaiting restoration
drawstop actions being refurbished
detail of repalleted pedal chest
Coupler machine awaiting repair
Coupler machine
Coupler machine 2
Combination action repair
chest with restored pallets
Chest restored and awaiting testing
Chest awaiting testing for leaks
Ches repairing components
Ches preparing components
Blower awaiting refurbishment
Bellows or reservoirs repaired
Adriel working on chest motors
Adriel refitting action motors
Adriel again.. again
Adriel again
actions being restored

The Moot Hall piano

Gallery // January 6, 2016August 16, 2016 by Colchester New Music

The Moot Hall Boston grand piano, presented to the Borough Council for the Moot Hall by Councillor Nick Cope. It was first played in concert in situ on 5th January 2015, in a pianistic interlude during an organ recital by Ian Ray, Hon. Borough Organist.  

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Presentation of Gala programme to the Mayor of Colchester

Gallery // December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 by Colchester New Music

Presentation by Cllr Nigel Chapman of a bound copy of the Souvenir Programme to the Mayor of Colchester, Cllr Theresa Higgins, so that the names of the donors recorded in it can be retained for posterity in the Mayor’s Parlour; December 2015, at the AGM of the Friends of the Moot Hall Organ. This officially […]

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Roman River Festival 2015

Gallery // December 10, 2015January 22, 2021 by Colchester New Music

Pictures from the Roman River Festival concert in the Moot Hall, September 2015, with organist Tom Bell and the Colchester Chamber Choir conducted by Roderick Earle (photos: Christopher Arnold).  

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Gala re-opening concerts

Gallery // November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 by Colchester New Music

Pictures from the Moot Hall Organ gala re-opening concerts in May 2015 (photos: Sheldon Coulthrust).

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firstsite projects, November & December 2014

Gallery // January 12, 2015January 13, 2015 by Colchester New Music

In November and December 2014, sound artist and composer Duncan Chapman and visual artist Willow Mitchell led a series of ‘Free Family Saturday’ workshops for children and families in the firstsite learning spaces, exploring the sounds, history, materials and mechanisms of the organ. From 9th – 11th December, audio and visual responses to the organ […]

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Inside the Organ, pre-restoration

Gallery // January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 by Colchester New Music

These photos show the condition of the organ prior to its removal from the Moot Hall for restoration in July 2014. Click on the images to enlarge. Photos by Dr William McVicker

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What’s On

May 10, 2022
  • Organ recital by David Poulter (former director of Music at Cathedrals of Coventry, Chester and Liverpool)

    Starts: 1:00 pm
    Ends: May 10, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    Location: Colchester Town Hall, High St, Colchester CO1 1PJ, UK


    Description:

    Music for the Jubilee, by Walton, Vaughan Williams, Elgar, JS Bach and Max Reger.

    More details...
June 14, 2022
  • Organ recital by William Saunders

    Starts: 1:00 pm
    Ends: June 14, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    Location: Colchester Town Hall, High St, Colchester CO1 1PJ, UK


    Description:

    Programme includes the Elgar Organ Sonata.

    More details...
July 12, 2022
  • Organ recital by Stefan Donner (Vienna)

    Starts: 1:00 pm
    Ends: July 12, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    Location: Colchester Town Hall, High St, Colchester CO1 1PJ, UK


    Description:

    Music by Liszt, Schumann and Beethoven.

    More details...
August 9, 2022
  • Organ recital by Weston Jennings (Concert Organist, Tyler, Texas)

    Starts: 1:00 pm
    Ends: August 9, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    Location: Colchester Town Hall, High St, Colchester CO1 1PJ, UK


    Description:

    Details TBA

    More details...
September 13, 2022
  • Organ recital by Ian Ray (Hon Borough Organist)

    Starts: 1:00 pm
    Ends: September 13, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    Location: Colchester Town Hall, High St, Colchester CO1 1PJ, UK


    Description:

    Music by Percy Whitlock.

    More details...

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