The Organs of Guildford Cathedral
There are two organs in the Cathedral, the main instrument which occupies two positions on the north side of the building with its console above the south choir stalls, and the instrument in the Musicians' Gallery of the Lady Chapel. Both instruments were installed by the Liverpool firm of Rushworth & Dreaper, the smaller organ originally being intended as a temporary instrument while the main organ was being constructed. Almost fifty years on both instruments continue to do sterling service, the main organ the gift of the Coulthurst Trust and the small organ the gift of a private donor.
The Main Organ
The greater part of the Cathedral organ is, in fact, an instrument which started its life in Rosse Street Baptist Church, Shipley, Yorkshire. This instrument was most probably built around 1866 by Nicholson of Bradford, and was then enlarged by Messrs Harrison and Harrison of Durham in 1899; what was already a respectably substantial three-manual instrument had a fourth manual added, and it was this four-manual organ which was removed to Liverpool to become the backbone of the organ for Guildford's new Cathedral in 1960.
As 17 May 1961 loomed, and with it the proposed Cathedral consecration, Rushworth & Dreaper skilfully constructed a remarkably complete piece of work (even though its façade in the north transept gallery was temporary). A year later Rushworth & Dreaper built a brand new Positive division above the north choir stalls in order to provide more immediate choral accompaniment.
Since 1962 the only major work to the organ has been an overhaul in 1983, including the installation of a solid state combination system, the building in 1990 of a one-manual mobile console to operate the Positive division remotely, the revision of the Great and Swell mixtures in 1993, together with replacing the Positive 4' Nason Flute with a 4' Principal, the duplexing of the Positive 8' Rohr Gedackt on the Swell, and in 1999 the substitution of a Vox Humana for the 2' Piccolo in the Solo division. Many of the soundboards and reservoirs, and much of the building frame and pipework, date from 1866 and/or 1899, and it is an interesting thought that in this most modern of Cathedrals is an instrument containing working mechanisms which outdate the surrounding building.
The organ contains 66 manual ranks, and 4,398 pipes. The present specification is as follows:
Great
Double Diapason 16
Open Diapason I 8
Open Diapason II 8
Open Diapason III 8
Waldflöte 8
Stopped Diapason 8
Octave Diapason 4
Principal 4
Stopped Flute 4
Twelfth 2 2/3
Fifteenth 2
Mixture (19.22.26.29) IV
Trombone 16
Trumpet 8
Clarion 4
Swell (enclosed)
Contra Salicional 16
Geigen Diapason 8
Rohrflöte 8
Salicional 8
Vox Angelica 8
Principal 4
Koppelflöte 4
Fifteenth 2
Sesquialtera (12.17) II
Mixture (19.22.26.29) IV
Oboe 8
Contra Fagotto 16
Cornopean 8
Clarion 4
Rohr Gedackt (Positive) 8
Choir (unenclosed)
Lieblich Bourdon 16
Open Diapason 8
Stopped Diapason 8
Dulciana 8
Gemshorn 4
Suabe Flute 4
Nazard 2 2/3
Flautina 2
Mixture (15.19.22) III
Trombone (Great) 16
Trumpet (Great) 8
Clarion (Great) 4
Solo (enclosed)
Hohlflöte 8
Viole d'Orchestre 8
Violes Celestes 8
Concert Flute 4
Vox Humana 8
Clarinet 8
Orchestral Oboe 8
Tuba (unenclosed) 8
Positive (floating)
Gemshorn 8
Rohr Gedackt 8
Principal 4
Spitzflöte 4
Nazard 2 2/3
Blockflöte 2
Tierce 1 3/5
Larigot 1 1/3
Fourniture (22.26.29) III
Pedal
Sub Bass 32
Open Wood 16
Open Metal 16
Violone 16
Bourdon 16
Salicional (Swell) 16
Quintaton (Positive) 16
Octave Wood 8
Principal 8
Bass Flute 8
Fifteenth 4
Octave Flute 4
Mixture (19.22.26.29) IV
Contra Trombone 32
Ophicleide 16
Trombone (Great) 16
Trumpet 8
Clarion 4
Couplers & Accessories
Swell to Great
Choir to Great
Solo to Great
Positive to Great
Solo to Swell
Swell to Choir
Solo to Choir
Positive to Choir
Positive to Solo
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Solo to Pedal
Positive to Pedal
Swell Octave
Swell Unison Off
Swell Sub Octave
Solo Octave
Solo Unison Off
Solo Sub Octave
Swell Tremulant
Solo Tremulant
Positive Tremulant
Great and Pedal Combinations
8 thumb pistons to Great
8 thumb pistons to Swell
8 thumb pistons to Solo
4 thumb pistons to Choir
4 thumb pistons to Positive
16 general thumb pistons
1 general piston to unison couplers
8 toe pistons to Pedal
8 toe pistons to Swell
Generals on Great and Pedal pistons
Generals on Swell toe pistons
9 reversible thumb pistons
6 reversible toe pistons
Setter piston
Cancel piston
8 levels each of memory for departmental and general pistons
Manual compass: CC - c (61 notes)
Pedal compass: CCC - G (32 notes)
Wind Pressures:
Pedal reeds: 7"
Pedal flues: 5"
Great reeds: 7"
Great flues: 3½"
Swell reeds: 7"
Swell flues: 4"
Solo: 4½"
Solo Tuba: 15"
Positive: 2½"
More detailed notes of this organ, together with the specification of the Lady Chapel organ, can be found in The Organs of Guildford Cathedral by Geoffrey Morgan. Please send a cheque for £2.00 made payable to Guildford Cathedral, together with a stamped, addressed A5 or larger envelope (marked ‘Organ Booklet') to:
David Davies
Guildford Cathedral Office
Stag Hill
Guildford
GU2 7UP