Brightling

St Thomas à Becket, Brightling (E. Sussex)

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

Barrel organ. Label inside windchest: ‘W.A.A. NICHOLLS Son-in-law and successor to the late Mr G.P. England, Organ Builder, No. 9 Stephen St. Tottenham Ct. Rd. London’ (George Pike England died February 1815). Given by the local squire, John Fuller MP (1757-1834) in 1816 to replace Buckingham barrel organ (see Directory). On 21 December 1960 it featured in a BBC radio broadcast with commentary by Kenneth James, organ builder. Still used at Easter and Christmas. The organ is located in the west gallery, is operated from the rear and blown by foot pedal. The grained pine castellated case has five flats of gilt diapasons (3-3-5-3-3) with no cloth backing. Stop list: Mixture, Fifteenth, Twelfth, Stopt Diapason, Principal, Open Diapason. Restored by Harrison & Harrison in 1960 & 1964, and by Stuart Dobbs and Dominic Gwynn in 1999: www.goetzegwynn.co.uk/organ/brightling-church-in-sussex-restoration-of-the-ca1820-nicholls-barrel-organ/ BIOS Historic Organ Certificate awarded 1999 (ungraded). Tunes recorded in 2022 by Andrew Wedmore and team: brightling.community/barrel-organ-1/ Two barrels x 13 tunes, of which only 12 are playable. Perhaps originally three barrels. At least two of the tunes on Barrel 1 have been repinned. Photos: M. Kilbey

References: Star (London) (16 Oct. 1816) 3; Country Life (15 Aug. 1903) 192, (25 Jun 1943) 1153 & (21 Dec. 1951) 2109; Nottingham Journal (5 Aug. 1913) 2; MacDermott (1922); Sussex Agricultural Express (1 Nov. 1929) 12; Hastings and St Leonards Observer (4 Feb. 1933) 2; West Sussex Gazette (9 Feb. 1933) 5; Wenlock (1955); Radio Times (Dec. 1960); Boston & Langwill (1967); NPOR, N15468.

BARREL 2

Tune

Metre

2.1

Mount Ephraim

2.2

New York

2.3

Portugal New

2.4

St George

2.5

Irish

2.6

New Sabbath

2.7

Oxford New

2.8

Islington

2.9

Easter Hymn

77.77.D

2.10

Carey’s

112th

2.11

Burford

2.12

[St Anne - damaged]

BARREL 1

Tune

Metre

1.1

[Hanover - damaged]

1.2

Double Chant: Mornington

1.3

[unknown] Windsor Chapel

1.4

[unknown] [damaged]

1.5

Bristol

1.6

Gainsborough

1.7

Falcon Street

1.8

Abingdon

1.9

Double Chant: Dupuis

1.10

Montgomery

113th

1.11

Froome

1.12

Old 100th

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

St Thomas à Becket, Brightling (E. Sussex)

On 21 December 1960 it featured in a BBC radio broadcast with commentary by Kenneth James, organ builder. Still used at Easter and Christmas. The organ is located in the west gallery, is operated from the rear and blown by foot pedal. The grained pine castellated case has five flats of gilt diapasons (3-3-5-3-3) with no cloth backing. Stop list: Mixture, Fifteenth, Twelfth, Stopt Diapason, Principal, Open Diapason. Restored by Harrison & Harrison in 1960 & 1964, and by Stuart Dobbs and Dominic Gwynn in 1999: www.goetzegwynn.co.uk/organ/brightling-church-in-sussex- restoration-of-the-ca1820-nicholls-barrel-organ/ BIOS Historic Organ Certificate awarded 1999 (ungraded). Tunes recorded in 2022 by Andrew Wedmore and team: brightling.community/barrel-organ-1/ Two barrels x 13 tunes, of which only 12 are playable. Perhaps originally three barrels. At least two of the tunes on Barrel 1 have been repinned. Photo: M. Kilbey