© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2024
St Peter & St Paul, Trottiscliffe (Kent) now in Snodland Millennium Museum
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Improved barrel organ, painted label on case: ‘T.C. Bates & SON, Organ Builders, 6, LUDGATE HILL, LONDON’. Purchased from St John the Baptist, Meopham, in 1865. It seems likely that alterations were made and additional barrels purchased at this time by another builder, since T.C. Bates & Son ceased trading at around this time. In 1950 it was reported that ‘a few years ago’ the organ ‘was used for the children's service on Sunday afternoons.’ The organ is operated from the rear and blown by pedal. The Gothic case has three flats of gold painted dummy pipes (3-7-3). Stop list: Bourdon, Open Diapason, Stopped Diapason, Principal, Twelfth Dulciana, Fifteenth. Part-restored in 1950 by Noel Mander for the Kent Music Exhibition, then dismantled and stored at Rochester Museum. Part-restored again in 2013 by David Shuker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74iUp21nmoM. Now in Snodland Millennium Museum. Tunes recorded in 2013. Originally 3 barrels (later 6, now 1) x 10 tunes. Some tunes have been repinned and three additional barrels supplied, perhaps when the organ was purchased from Meopham – the handwritten c.1865 tunelist includes several tunes published in Hymns Ancient & Modern and other 1860s hymnals. Names pasted over several tunes indicate that further alterations were made. Only barrel 5 survives. Recordings of barrel 5 and photo: David Shuker.
References: Musical Times (1 Oct. 1899) p.659; Musical Opinion (Jul. 1906) p.752; Notes and Queries (1924); Northampton Chronicle and Echo (11 Sep. 1926) p.2; Country Life (15 Dec. 1928) p.884 & (24 Mar. 1966); Sunday Times (16 Apr. 1950); Kentish Express (2 Jan. 1959) p.6; Boston (1959); Boston & Langwill (1967); Ord-Hume (1978); Turner (2002); Kilbey (2013); David Shuker, At the Sign of the Pipe https://signofthepipe.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-trottiscliffe-barrel-organ.html; Trottiscliffe Village Barrel Organ http://www.trottiscliffevillage.co.uk/Barrel%20Organ.html
BARREL 1
MISSING
Metre
1.1
Old 100th
LM
1.2
Alstone
LM
1.3
Devonshire
LM
1.4
Abridge
CM
1.5
St Anne
CM
1.6
St James
CM
1.7
London New
CM
1.8
Shirland
SM
1.9
[unknown] St Magnus
CM
1.10
Sicilian Hymn
87.D
BARREL 5 GREEN
Tune
Metre
5.1
LM
5.2
LM
5.3
CM
5.4
[unknown] St George
SM
5.5
LM
5.6
SM
5.7
[unknown] St Alphege
76.76.
5.8
87.87.887.
5.9
87.887.
5.10
[unknown] Albano
CM
BARREL 2
MISSING
Metre
2.1
[unknown] Melcombe
LM
2.2
Angelus
LM
2.3
Nayland
CM
2.4
Beatitude
CM
2.5
St Agnes
LM
2.6
Munich
87.
2.7
Innocents
77.77.
2.8
Swabia
SM
2.9
Aurelia
76.76.D
2.10
[unknown] [illegible]
LM
BARREL 3
MISSING
Metre
3.1
Evening Hymn
LM
3.2
Rockingham
LM
3.3
Wareham
LM
3.4
[illegible]
CM
3.5
[illegible]
CM
3.6
[unknown] Putney Hill
CM
3.7
Carlisle
SM
3.8
Advent Hymn [Helmsley]
87.87.47.
3.9
Moscow [Vespers]
87.87.87.
3.10
Rousseau
87.87.87.
BARREL 4
MISSING
Metre
4.1
Job
LM
4.2
St Peter
CM
4.3
Old 112th
CM
4.4
Abingdon
CM
4.5
St Michael
SM
4.6
[illegible]
4.7
[illegible]
4.8
St Albans […]
4.9
St George […]
4.10
[illegible]
BARREL 6
MISSING
Metre
6.1
Hursley (Sun of my soul)
LM
6.2
Leipsic
LM
6.3
Gerontius
CM
6.4
St Hubert
CM
6.5
Tallis Ordinal
CM
6.6
St Anatolius
PM
6.7
[unknown] Lincoln
CM
6.8
St Bees
77.77.
6.9
Redhead
6.10
All Saints
CM
Trottiscliffe (Kent)
© Maggie Kilbey & Marcel Glover 2024
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
St Peter & St Paul, Trottiscliffe (Kent) now in Snodland Millennium Museum
Improved barrel organ, painted label on case: ‘T.C. Bates & SON, Organ Builders, 6, LUDGATE HILL, LONDON’. Purchased from St John the Baptist, Meopham, in 1865. It seems likely that alterations were made and additional barrels purchased at this time by another builder, since T.C. Bates & Son ceased trading at around this time. In 1950 it was reported that ‘a few years ago’ the organ ‘was used for the children's service on Sunday afternoons.’ The organ is operated from the rear and blown by pedal. The Gothic case has three flats of gold painted dummy pipes (3-7-3). Stop list: Bourdon, Open Diapason, Stopped Diapason, Principal, Twelfth Dulciana, Fifteenth. Part-restored in 1950 by Noel Mander for the Kent Music Exhibition, then dismantled and stored at Rochester Museum. Part-restored again in 2013 by David Shuker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74iUp21nmoM. Now in Snodland Millennium Museum. Tunes recorded in 2013. Originally 3 barrels (later 6, now 1) x 10 tunes. Some tunes have been repinned and three additional barrels supplied, perhaps when the organ was purchased from Meopham – the handwritten c.1865 tunelist includes several tunes published in Hymns Ancient & Modern and other 1860s hymnals. Names pasted over several tunes indicate that further alterations were made. Only barrel 5 survives. Recordings of barrel 5 and photo: David Shuker.
References: Musical Times (1 Oct. 1899) p.659; Musical Opinion (Jul. 1906) p.752; Notes and Queries (1924); Northampton Chronicle and Echo (11 Sep. 1926) p.2; Country Life (15 Dec. 1928) p.884 & (24 Mar. 1966); Sunday Times (16 Apr. 1950); Kentish Express (2 Jan. 1959) p.6; Boston (1959); Boston & Langwill (1967); Ord-Hume (1978); Turner (2002); Kilbey (2013); David Shuker, At the Sign of the Pipe https://signofthepipe.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-trottiscliffe-barrel- organ.html; Trottiscliffe Village Barrel Organ http://www.trottiscliffevillage.co.uk/Barrel%20Organ.html
BARREL 5
Tune
Metre
5.1
LM
5.2
LM
5.3
CM
5.4
CM
5.5
LM
5.6
SM
5.7
76.76.
5.8
87.87.887.
5.9
87.887.
5.10
CM
BARREL 1
MISSING
Metre
1.1
Old 100th
LM
1.2
Alstone
LM
1.3
Devonshire
LM
1.4
Abridge
CM
1.5
St Anne
CM
1.6
St James
CM
1.7
London New
CM
1.8
Shirland
SM
1.9
[unknown] St Magnus
CM
1.10
Sicilian Hymn
87.D
BARREL 2
MISSING
Metre
2.1
[unknown] Melcombe
LM
2.2
Angelus
LM
2.3
Nayland
CM
2.4
Beatitude
CM
2.5
St Agnes
LM
2.6
Munich
87.
2.7
Innocents
77.77.
2.8
Swabia
SM
2.9
Aurelia
76.76.D
2.10
[unknown] [illegible]
LM
BARREL 3
MISSING
Metre
3.1
Evening Hymn
LM
3.2
Rockingham
LM
3.3
Wareham
LM
3.4
[illegible]
CM
3.5
[illegible]
CM
3.6
[unknown] Putney Hill
CM
3.7
Carlisle
SM
3.8
Advent Hymn [Helmsley]
87.87.47.
3.9
Moscow [Vespers]
87.87.87.
3.10
Rousseau
87.87.87.
BARREL 4
MISSING
Metre
4.1
Job
LM
4.2
St Peter
CM
4.3
Old 112th
CM
4.4
Abingdon
CM
4.5
St Michael
SM
4.6
[illegible]
4.7
[illegible]
4.8
St Albans […]
4.9
St George […]
4.10
[illegible]
BARREL 6
MISSING
Metre
6.1
Hursley (Sun of my soul)
LM
6.2
Leipsic
LM
6.3
Gerontius
CM
6.4
St Hubert
CM
6.5
Tallis Ordinal
CM
6.6
St Anatolius
PM
6.7
[unknown] Lincoln
CM
6.8
St Bees
77.77.
6.9
Redhead
6.10
All Saints
CM
Trottiscliffe (Kent)