The organ was built by Norman and Beard in 1904 and has recently been substantially renovated by Harrison and Harrison at a cost of £300,000.
The restored organ was rededicated by the Dean of Lichfield on 20 November 2011 and details of the new specification can be downloaded here. For details of organ recitals at St Chad’s, please see our What’s On page
HISTORY
The organ was built by the Norwich firm of Norman and Beard in 1904 and dedicated early in 1905. The instrument still has the immaculate finish of an opulent Edwardian organ, and has changed little tonally. A rebuild took place by Nicholson and Company of Worcester in 1963 when the tubular-pneumatic action was replaced by an electro-pneumatic system and adjustable pistons were fitted. Nicholson’s replaced a Great Dolce for a Twelfth and remodelled the Great Mixture; they replaced the Choir Orchestra Oboe with a 4’ Gemshorn and added a Nazard. At some stage before that a Swell Vox Humana had been replaced by a Viol d’Orchestre. Nicholson’s also added a Pedal Quint (Bourdon extension) together with a Pedal 4’ Flute in 1963.
Since the early 1980s the instrument has been in the care of the Durham firm of Harrison and Harrison who made some modifications to it in 1985. The Pedal 8’ wooden stop was replaced by a metal stop and the Nicholson 4’ Flute was replaced by a Fifteenth. The Nicholson Choir Gemshorn was remade into a Tierce. Harrison and Harrison remodelled the Great Mixture in 1990.
By 2011 there was a clear need for a major restoration which was undertaken at a cost of £300,000 by Harrison and Harrison. Again some tonal changes were made. The Swell Mixture was remodelled and the Viol d’Orchestre was transferred to the Choir organ and tuned as a celeste to the Violoncello. This enabled space to be found to add a much needed 2’ stop to the swell organ. The Pedal Quint was reused as a 32’ Resultant Bass and a new Tuba stop was added to the Choir organ. The instrument is now undoubtedly one of the many treasures of the church, but is also one of the finest and most user-friendly instruments for miles around.