Pipe organs of Brighton and Hove

This page is about the numerous notable pipe organs of the city borough of Brighton and Hove, from the small early 19th Century organs to the large 20th Century instruments in the large churches.

Brighton

Churches

The Chapel Royal

The organ of the Chapel Royal was built in 1883 by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons to a specification of twenty stops on two manuals and pedals: [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - the Chapel Royal, Brighton|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15478] a Choir organ of six or seven stops was also prepared for. It is an interesting example of a small Willis organ, of which there are relatively few.

t Peter's

The organ of St Peter's was built in 1888 by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons for the Hampstead Conservatoire of Music [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - the Hampstead Conservatoire of Music|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D03257] with forty-three stops spread over four manuals and pedals. The same firm brought it to Brighton in 1910: [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - St Peter's, Brighton: The Willis Organ|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N00951] the instrument it replaced, built in the 1820s by W. A. A. Nicholls and enlarged in 1877 by W. M. Hedgeland, [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - St Peter's, Brighton: The Old Organ|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15485] was moved in 1910 to the church of St Paul, St Albans. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - St Paul's, St Albans|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N14498]

t. Mary the Virgin, Kemp Town

The first organ at St Mary's was a small organ built by Henry Lincoln of eleven stops on two manuals with 13 notes of pulldown pedals. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - Saint Mary's, Kemp Town: the Lincoln organ|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=E00868] This was replaced in 1855 by a new organ by Henry Bevington, which was enlarged to three manuals and 24 stops in 1878: [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - Saint Mary's, Kemp Town: the Bevington organ|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D03281] four stops were added in 1904. A further four were added in 1965 and two digital stops were added in 1980. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - Saint Mary's, Kemp Town: the Bevington organ, as rebuilt in 1965|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15538] Pictures and a recording may be heard [http://www.stmaryschurchbrighton.co.uk/Bevington%20organ.htm here] .

Public buildings

The Dome Pavilion

The first pipe organ in the Dome's Concert Hall was built in 1870 by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons to a specification of forty-four stops spread over four manuals and pedals. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - The Brighton Dome Willis|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15482] Unfortunately, this modestly-sized but nonetheless splendid instrument was removed in 1935 for the great rebuilding of the theatre and was never returned, but broken up for parts. The instrument which replaced it is greatly inferior in tonal quality as a classical organ, which its curators claim it can be, but is effective as a cinema organ: it is a large Christie organ built in 1935 by the firm of Hill, Norman and Beard. This large instrument has four manuals and one hundred and seventy-eight stops obtained by extension and borrowing of numerous ranks, plus numerous percussion effects. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - The Brighton Dome HNB|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N08247] It has recently been restored by David Wells of Liverpool and a 'floating' String Organ added from the organ at Glyndebourne, which had been broken up.

Hove

Churches

All Saints

All Saints Church, a large and fine building designed by Pearson, is fortunate to have a suitably fine organ, built by the London firm of William Hill & Son in 1894 to a specification of fourteen stops on two manuals and pedals at a cost of £882. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - All Saints, Hove: 1894 specification|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15508] It was enlarged in 1905 to forty-eight stops on three manuals and pedals at a further cost of £1908. [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - All Saints, Hove: 1905 specification|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15507] It was provided with an ornate case in 1915 to a design by Pearson's son, Frank: the instrument was restored in 1987 by Mander Organs.

Public buildings

The Town Hall

The Town Hall was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built in 1882. In 1897, a new pipe organ of thirty-six stops on four manuals and pedals, designed by
John Stainer [cite web|title=My Brighton and Hove: Hove Town Hall - A history of two buildings|url=http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__5856_path__0p115p188p941p.aspx] and built by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons, was provided: [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - Hove Town Hall|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N15531] it was closely similar to the Willis in the Brighton Dome. The instrument was sold in 1961, amidst much local controversy, to Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, Hertfordshire: [cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register - Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School|url=http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=C00921] however, without this move, the organ would no longer exist, as the hall was completely destroyed by fire in 1966. [cite web|title=My Brighton and Hove: Hove Town Hall - A history of two buildings|url=http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__5856_path__0p115p188p941p.aspx]

References