The Organ
The present organ
Built in 1959 by the firm of J W Walker & Son at a cost of £4,300, the organ was designed in consultation with Dr Francis Jackson and is thought to be the first to combine a mechanical key action with an electrically operated stop action.
Dr Jackson, then organist at York Minster, played the inaugural recital on 6 July 1959, two weeks after the dedication, and an anniversary concert in July 2009.
The organ case, designed by George Gaze Pace, is characteristic of several he designed at this period.
Pedal Organ | Great Organ | ||||
1 | Open Wood | 16 | 8 | Principal | 8 |
2 | Bourdon | 16 | 9 | Open Flute | 8 |
3 | Quint | 102⁄3 | 10 | Dulciana | 8 |
4 | Violoncello | 8 | 11 | Octave | 4 |
5 | Flute | 8 | 12 | Stopped Flute | 4 |
6 | Octave Flute | 4 | 13 | Twelfth | 22⁄3 |
7 | Fifteenth | 4 | 14 | Fifteenth | 2 |
15 | Tierce | 13⁄5 | |||
16 | Mixture (19.22.26.29) | IV | |||
Swell Organ | Couplers | ||||
17 | Rohr Flute | 8 | Swell to Pedal | ||
18 | Viol da Gamba | 8 | Swell to Great | ||
19 | Principal | 4 | Great to Pedal | ||
20 | Octave | 2 | |||
21 | Larigot | 11⁄3 | Compass | ||
22 | Mixture (22.26.29) | III | Pedal: C - f1 (30 notes) | ||
23 | Cummhorn | 16 | Manuals: C - g3(56 notes) | ||
24 | Cornopean | 8 | |||
Tremulant | |||||
Accessories | |||||
6 thumb pistons to Great | Toe piston for Gt-Ped | ||||
6 thumb pistons to Swell | 6 toe pistons to Gt & Ped. | ||||
8 general thumb pistons | 6 toe pistons to Swell | ||||
Thumb piston for Gt-Ped | 8 channels of memory |
In 1998 a grant from the Foundation for Sports and the Arts made it possible to clean and restore the organ. The numbers of thumb and toe pistons were increased and a selector giving eight channels of memory installed.
Recitals
There are monthly recitals in the summer organised by York and District Organists' Association.