Barrel organ. Nameplate on front of case: ‘PATENT, WILLIAM PROWSE, Late KEITH, PROWSE, & Co, Manufacturer, 48, Cheapside, LONDON.’ Label on barrels: ‘KEITH, PROWSE & Co. Manufacturers, 48, Cheapside, LONDON.’ A brass plate on the side of the case reads: ‘Glory to God in the Highest. This organ, purchased with the contributions of a few intimate friends, is presented to the parish church of Winwick by Susan Bromhead [the Rector’s wife], October 1864’. The organ appears to have been purchased secondhand from Bryceson – the tunelist pasted to the back of the case is headed ‘Barrel Tunes Bryceson, 1864’. The organ situated in the south transcept. The organ is operated from the rear, with both the crank handle and pedal to blow the organ on the right-hand side, so that the organ can be operated by one person. The oak Gothic case has three panels of gold painted dummy pipes. Restored in 1969 by K.G. Parrott & E. Timmins of Rugby. Seven barrels x 10 tunes, all labelled ‘Keith, Prowse & Co., Manufacturer, 48 Cheapside, London’. Bryceson appears to have repinned some of the barrels in 1864 when some of the tunes were relatively new, including ‘Hursley’ (1855), ‘Innocents’ (1850) and ‘Eventide’ (1861) on Barrel 4. Five of the barrels are carriage-mounted, but two (barrels 2 & 6) are not, and are therefore unplayable. There is space for two barrels to be stored in a compartment at the base of the organ, suggesting that there were originally only three barrels. Many repairs to the barrels are evident. Barrel 3 has been repinned at some stage, and the green barrel paper is peeling off to reveal a page from a geometry textbook.

References: Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser (5 Dec. 1908), p. 5; Boston (1959); Coventry Evening Telegraph (16 Aug. 1969), p. 26; Parrott (1970); Boston & Langwill (1967); Turner (2002); Davidson (2003); NPOR D00470.