2010:365:67 O is for Organ

We're very fortunate in Saint Nicholas'.  The organ here is a William Hill and Son of London instrument, and a very fine one at that.  It was dedicated on 12th May, 1906 and continues to provide a strong lead in our worship week by week.
It cost £563 to build.  What would that be today?
Hand operated bellows were used until 1911 when a "water engine" was tried.  Just seven years later there's a record in the Select Vestry minutes of a boy being paid ten shillings a quarter to operate the bellows on Sundays.  The "water engine" clearly didn't work!
An electric motor was attached to the bellows in 1924 and in 1950 the present Discus blower and motor was installed and worked well up until just a few months ago.  That has now been repaired and the damage done by some water getting into the trumpet end will be fixed shortly.
Open Church today when I do duty over the lunch time slot gave me an opportunity to take some pictures.  (Saint Nicholas' is open from March until September for private prayer between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm - or longer if the person on duty wishes to do so.) It was only after putting the pictures on the computer that I noticed something very odd!  There are reflections of parts of the church behind the stops.  If you click on these photographs you'll see a much larger version.... interesting.  We don't always see the whole picture at first.  (There's a sermon in there somewhere!)  Or we see what we expect to see....

The windows at the East End are reflected behind this set - and it looks as if the camera focus was on the stained glass and not on the stops themselves.

Here the reflection is of the windows along the North Side of the building..... I didn't even see this when I was trying to get the interesting names of the stops....  Once again the camera chose what to see clearly!

I love listening to the organ.  It is an amazing instrument with so many small parts that all have a purpose - tens of thousands of them are never seen, hidden behind the pipes and covers - but each doing what it is supposed to be doing and working together to provide an instrument that helps the people to give glory to God.

Almighty God,
whose only Son opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
Give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Collect of the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.