Ossington

Holy Rood, Ossington (Nottinghamshire)

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

Barrel organ, c.1830. Barrel 1 has the serial number 6150 and label ‘APOLLONICON ROOMS, LATE FLIGHT & ROBSON, T.I. ROBSON, Organ Builder, No. 101 St. Martin’s Lane, LONDON.’ Barrel 3 has the serial number 5216 and label ‘ROBSON AND SON, Organ Builders TO HIS MAJESTY, No.101 ST. MARTIN’S LANE, LONDON.’ The organ is located in a small west gallery cantilevered from the bell tower, and can only be accessed by ladder. It stands behind the finger organ used at present. The organ is operated from the rear and is now blown electrically. The grained softwood case has two flats of gilded dummy pipes (9-9). Stop list: Open Diapason 8’, Stopped Diapason 8’, Principal 4’. The organ was restored in 1968 by John Budgen, and in 2005 by Aistrup & Hind of Lincoln. Tunes recorded in 2001. BIOS Historic Organ Certificate awarded 2008 (Grade I). Three carriage-mounted barrels x 10 tunes. Barrels 1 & 3 are dark green and labelled as given above. Barrel 2 is white, unlabelled and more recent. Barrel 4 is relatively modern and has only eight tunes (‘Holy Rood’, ‘Morning Light’, ‘Nicaea’, ‘Easter Hymn’, ‘Ravenshaw’, ‘Nun Danket’, ‘Love Divine’, ‘Winchester Old’) – the staples are made from wire of an incorrect gauge.

References: Boston & Langwill (1967); Budgen (2017); The Georgian, 2 (2005) 59; NPOR, J00192.