West Quantoxhead

St Etheldreda, West Quantoxhead (Somerset)

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

Improved barrel organ. Engraved on keyframe: ‘Bevington & Sons, LONDON.’ In 1845 the organ was installed in the west gallery of St Peter & St Paul, Bishop’s Hull and in 1862 sold to St Nicholas, Kilton for £10. The organ was transferred to West Quantoxhead in 1981. The organ is located towards the west end of the south aisle. It is operated from the rear, with the crank handle on the right-hand side and blowing lever on the left-hand side: two people are needed to play the organ. The case is painted green, and the organ has gold painted pipes which are functional. Restored c.1981 by Bishops of Ipswich, and again in 2006 by John Budgen. Three green barrels x 12 tunes in a frame. The original barrel change mechanism still in place – the frame is moved along its axis and there is a screw thread so any tune can be selected. The names of newer, repinned tunes are pasted onto the badly faded original tunelist pinned inside the case. All the new tunes, apart from the chants, were contained in the first edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861).

References: Boston (1959); Boston & Langwill (1967); Musical Opinion (Aug. 1970), p.599; NPOR, N12655.

BARREL 1 GREEN

Tune

Metre

1.1

Unknown Single Chant: Battishill

1.2

Old 100th

1.3

Wareham

1.4

Rockingham

1.5

Portuguese Hymn [Portugal New]

1.6

Bedford

1.7

St Stephen

1.8

Abridge

1.9

Manchester New

1.10

St Bride

1.11

Shirland

1.12

Unknown Double Chant: Dupuis

BARREL 2 GREEN

Tune

Metre

2.1

Evening Hymn

2.2

Unknown Ewing

76.76.D

2.3

Unknown Single Chant: Tallis

2.4

Surrey [Carey’s]

2.5

Unknown Regent Square

87.87.87.

2.6

Angel’s Hymn

2.7

Unknown Bridehead

886.D

2.8

Harington

2.9

Unknown St Constantine

65.65.

2.10

Hanover

104th

2.11

Mariners Hymn [Sicilian Mariners]

87.D

2.12

Advent Hymn [Helmsley]

87.87.47.

BARREL 3 GREEN

UNPLAYABLE

3.1

Luther’s Hymn

3.2

Unknown St Michael

3.3

Unknown Aurelia

3.4

Unknown Eventide

3.5

Unknown Hollingside

3.6

St David

3.7

Unknown Double Chant: Robinson

3.8

Unknown Double Chant: Boyce

3.9

Mount Ephraim

3.10

University

3.11

German Hymn

3.12

Unknown Single Chant: Purcell

Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches

St Etheldreda, West Quantoxhead (Somerset)

Improved barrel organ. Engraved on keyframe: ‘Bevington & Sons, LONDON.’ In 1845 the organ was installed in the west gallery of St Peter & St Paul, Bishop’s Hull and in 1862 sold to St Nicholas, Kilton for £10. The organ was transferred to West Quantoxhead in 1981. The organ is located towards the west end of the south aisle. It is operated from the rear, with the crank handle on the right-hand side and blowing lever on the left- hand side: two people are needed to play the organ. The case is painted green, and the organ has gold painted pipes which are functional. Restored c.1981 by Bishops of Ipswich, and again in 2006 by John Budgen. Three green barrels x 12 tunes in a frame. The original barrel change mechanism still in place – the frame is moved along its axis and there is a screw thread so any tune can be selected. The names of newer, repinned tunes are pasted onto the badly faded original tunelist pinned inside the case. All the new tunes, apart from the chants, were contained in the first edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861).