NOTE Refurbishment of the organ commenced in January 2005.

(These notes are the work of the Revd Roger Henthorne, assistant curate in the parish and an amateur organ builder.)

The organ as it stands today is a medium sized three manual and pedal instrument of the mid-nineteenth century. It was built by George Holdich an organ builder of London in 1855. It is indeed one of the few large instruments he built and as such is one of a very few left today that is in any way recognisably of his style. This is mainly due to the conservative overhauls that it has had in 1900 and 1972

Organs in St. Neots

The earliest reference to an organ in the history of St. Mary’s Church in St. Neots is to be found in a medieval will dated 1531 when a bequest of a grail or gradual and a breviary was made to serve the organist at Matins and Mass. Of course, there are the references in 1749 when the ‘Morse’ organ was installed and opened including the sermon preached at the opening service. The next reference appears in the churchwarden’s accounts in 1758, when “Bainton mended the organ for 2sh.” Again, 1761 “Mr. Robinson for a pair of joynts for ye organ 9d.” In 1782, Mr. Argent was paid £10. 10s. for repairs and in 1783/4/6, repairs seem to have been done by Rouse.

In 1820, Thos. Davison of Whitefriars, London, printed a book written by George Gorham, M. A., “The History and Antiquities of Eynesbury and St. Neots in Huntingdonshire and St. Neot in the County of Cornwall”, and in there refers to the Organ in St. Neots Church as follows:

“The Organ, with which the Church is furnished, having been built by a private gentleman, Justinian Morse, M. D. of Barnet (a celebrated mechanical and musical genius), was presented by him to the Church of that place, with the stipulation that it was to be forfeited if the Parish ceased to provide an organist. These conditions not having been complied with, Dr. Morse himself for some time performed. It was finally removed to St. Neots, where it was opened by Dr. Randall of Cambridge in September 1749”.

Dr. Morse is a most intriguing figure as there are many references to him at this time in musical history. Hawkins (in his History of Music 1776) tells that he made organs for St. Matthew’s, Friday St. and St. James’, Clerkenwell). There is a reference to him in a report of the Royal Commission on Historic Manuscripts of “an advertisement of a new organ by Justinian Morse of Chipping Barnet”. In 1738, Charles Jennens (who selected the words for the ‘Messiah’) wrote “Mr. Handels head is more full of maggots than ever. … an organ of £500 price which he has bespoke of one Moss of Barnet”! He later ‘bespoke’ another for the Foundling Hospital. From the foregoing it is clear that Dr. Morse is a subject for research in himself.

On arrival at St. Neots, this organ was placed on a screen under the tower and from the plate in Gorham was a very real asset to the church. “The organ to be fixed in the Jesus Chapel, and such alterations to be made as may be found necessary, and such repairs done as may be required for its use”

The “Morse” organ served St. Neots for over a hundred years until 1855 when G. M. Holdich of London was commissioned to build another instrument. However, certain important events happened in St. Neots just prior to 1855, which must be reported if this history is to be accurate.

In 1847 St. Neots, following in the fore of current opinion, spent much time and energy in refurnishing the church. To understand what was done at this time, one must look to Leeds Parish Church, where a giant of the church was vicar, a Dr. Hook - earlier vicar of Coventry, He rebuilt Leeds Parish Church in such away that a pattern of worship evolved which left an enduring mark on the worship of the Anglican Church. A surpliced choir was placed between the Nave and the High Altar. Until this time this form of layout for the worship had been, in the main, restricted to Cathedral and Collegiate Churches. St. Neots was not slow to adapt to this “new fashion” and in this refurnishing, took the “Leeds Movement” into account. The pews, pulpit, choir stalls, all date from this time. The organ was torn down from its loft and placed in the Jesus Chapel at the side of the chancel. The work was executed by a “builder and joiner” of Bedford and this may well account for the fact that within 10 years it needed replacing. The entry in the faculty at this time makes very interesting reading.

George Holdich

Holdich was a builder of many fine small organs of the time, and worked from 1830 to 1890. He built in the Classical English style using light winded pipework and did not follow the trend of the time for higher pressure sounds. The organ at St Neots is of Holdich’s early period, and could be said to be an example of his best work. In 1855, remembering that the Morse organ was over 100 years old, and had had two moves, it must have been virtually unplayable, for, in August, G. M. Holdich was commissioned to rebuild the instrument - tenders having also been received from W. Hill of London as well for a two manual instrument. The saddest part of the rebuild was that the priceless 18th Century case was sold to him in part payment. This case has had a history in itself and could be found until recently at the church of St. Chrysodom in Hockley, Birmingham. On the closure of the church the case has now found its way to Birmingham Cathedral where it forms the case on the west side of the organ. Though it cannot be proved absolutely, however many of the markings on some of pipes lead us to think that quite a bit of the “Morse Organ” found its way into Holdich’s organ.

Holdich was a remarkable man and his work was that of a master in his trade. He trained many apprentices some of whom became well known organ builders in their own right. The prospect pipes at St. Neots are the work of Alfred Hunter and are autographed as his apprenticeship piece. Most of Holdich’s larger instruments have now been heavily rebuilt or destroyed, but here in St. Neots we have one which is still recognisable as his work. The original specification gives interesting reading and shows that it was a fine instrument well above the average organ of its day. A copy of the opening brochure is available for inspection at the County Library.

The Holdich Organ 1855

The opening of this organ was a great occasion for St. Neots. The Revd. Frederick Ouseley both played and preached. The anthems for the day were Green’s “God is our hope and strength” and the evening service was sung to Ouseley’s own setting in E flat with Croft’s “God is gone up with a merry noise” as the anthem. Later in this year, a concert was arranged at which young Arthur Sullivan was the soloist. Judging from the choir books of the time, which are still in the church, the choir must have been a very competent body of singers.

The organ was well used and in 1873, Holdich renewed the Great Trumpet Stop for £12. It had been damaged by coke fumes. Five years later, he was paid £26 13. 6d. for repairs and improvements (was this a clean?). Holdich retired at well over 80 in 1890 and in 1895 Bishop & Sons took over the maintenance and £12 0s. 6d. was spent on “adjustments”. The choir was still a very efficient body and in 1900, £350 was raised to clean and improve the organ.

Many of the improvements are to us today of a very doubtful nature, but we are indeed grateful that the organ was in the main still a recognisable Holdich masterpiece, most of the improvements were the provision of string toned stops for performance of Romantic Organ Music of the 19th Century.

The organ was hand-blown until 1948 when Bishop’s fitted an electrically-driven blower. And, in 1969, the pitch was raised to concert pitch (C 523.3). In 1952, Mr. Norman Hall, of Cambridge, took over the maintenance of the organ and for nearly 20 years, and kept it playable until a clean was possible. After due consideration, the contract for this restoration was awarded to Bishop & Son, of Ipswich & London, who in 1972 were able at long last to restore the grandeur of the instrument.

The Specification of the Organ 1972 after cleaning

Pedal Organ

1 Open Diapason     16ft. RankA (Holdich)
2 Bourdon           16ft. RankB (Holdich)
3 Principal          8ft. RankA
4 Bass Flute         8ft. RankB
5 Twelfth        5 1/3ft. RankB
6 Fifteenth          4ft. RankA
7 Trombone          16ft. RankC made up from second hand Holdich pipework
8 Trumpet            8ft. RankC
9 Clarion            4ft. RankC

RCO Pedalboard, Electro-pneumatic Action-Usual couplers.

Great Organ

10 Open Diapason     8ft.
11 Stopped Diapason  8ft.
12 Duiciana          8ft.
13 Principal         4ft.
14 Open Flute        4ft.
15 Twelfth       2 2/3ft.
16 Fifteenth         2ft.
17 Tierce        1 3/5ft.
18 Mixture          2rks.
19 Trumpet           8ft.

Swell Organ

20 Gedackt           8ft.
21 Echo Gamba        8ft.
22 Vox Celestes      8ft.
23 Principal         4ft.
24 Fautina           2ft.
25 Larigot       1 1/3ft.
26 Mixture          3rks.
27 Double Hautboy   16ft. (New bottom octave)
28 Cornopean         8ft.
29 Clarion           4ft.

Tremulant

Choir Organ

30 Clarabella        8ft.
31 Gemshorn          4ft.
32 Flute             4ft.
33 Nazard        2 2/3ft.
34 Block Flute       2ft.
35 Cremona           8ft.

(Messrs. Bishop & Son, of London and Ipswich)

Other

• Tracker Action to all manuals.
• A balanced Swell Pedal fitted centrally.
• Three composition Pedals to Great and Swell, the Swell being able to act on the Pedal Organ. Usual Couplers.

The whole of this restoration was supervised by Mr. John Budgen who personally reset and regulated the instrument. On a wind pressure of just over 2 1/2 ins or 65mm which after some research John Budgen thought was the Holdich pressure.