Staunton

St Mary, Staunton (Nottinghamshire)

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

Improved barrel organ, 1852. Label on Barrel 1: ‘FORSTER & ANDREWS, Organ Builders, Instruments BUILT TO Suit any CLIMATE, Estimates GIVEN FOR every description of ORGAN WORK. 29, Charlotte Street, (Late The Mechanic’s Institute), HULL. Tuning taken by Contract.’ The organ was erected on the 14th of March 1852 for £55 including installation. Forster & Andrew’s order book describes it as ‘New Barrel Organ same as Ponton’. It replaced an earlier barrel organ. The organ stands at the west end. It is operated from the rear, blown by pedal independent of the barrel mechanism, therefore the barrel can be held in position for accompanying chant without loss of wind pressure. The stained softwood Gothic case has three flats of gold painted dummy pipes (3-5-3). Stop list: Open Diapason 8’, Principal 4’, Mixture. Restored in 1969 by Herbert Friskney of Sutton-on-the-Trent, before which it had not been played for some 40 years. Tunes recorded in 2001. Three red barrels x 12 tunes in a frame, corresponding with the original tunelist given in Forster & Andrews’ order book. The tune change handle works on a notched rack: the barrel remains stationary while the keyframe is moved.

References: The Organist and Choirmaster (Jul. 1905) p.52; Notes and Queries (18 Mar. 1922) p.209; Nottingham Evening Post (24 Jul. 1929) p.8; Boston & Langwill (1967); Elvin (1976); Ord-Hume (1978); NPOR, E01531.