Great Organ CC-A 58 notes
- Quintaten 16ft (1-24 old bourdon. 25-58 new1965)
- Open Diapason 8ft (1-24 old Diapason 2. 25-58 new1965)
- Dulciana 8ft
- Stopped Diapason 8ft (1-12 old Claribel. 13-58 new1965)
- Principal 4ft
- Flute Ouverte 4ft
- Fifteenth 2ft (new1965)
- Mixture 111 rks (17,19,22) (new1965)
- Larigot 1⅓ft (old Fifteenth)
- 10. Trumpet 8ft (new2002
Swell to great
Swell Organ CC-A 58 notes
- Spitz Flute 8ft (1-12 old bourdon. 13-58 new1965)
- Salicional 8ft (1-12 old viole. 13-58 new1965)
- Voix Celeste (TC) 8ft
- Geigen Octave 4ft
- Lieblich Flute 4ft (old Gedact)
- Wald Flute 2ft (new1965)
- Quint Mixture 111 rks (19,22,26) (new1965)
- Sesquialtera 11 rks (12,17) (new1965)
- Contra Oboe 16ft (extra twelve notes at top) (1-12 new.13-58 old)
- Trumpet 8ft (new1965) (59-68 new1965)
Swell Unison Off
Swell Octave
Swell Sub Octave
Tremulant
Pedal Organ CCC-G 32 notes
- Sub Bass 16ft (old open diapason)
- Quintaten 16ft (Great)
- Principal 8ft
- Bass Flute 8ft (derived of Sub Bass)
- Fifteenth 4ft (derived of Principal)
- Spitz Flute 4ft (new1965)
- Rauschquint 11 rks (12,15) (old Great N0.1 Diapason &
- Contra Oboe 16ft (swell) Swell Diapason)
- Oboe Bass 8ft (swell)
Swell to Pedal
Swell Octave to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Electro-pneumatic action
Pistons adjustable on the Hill, Norman and Beard instant capture system
Wind pressure 3 inches
Thumb Pistons
5 to Great and Pedal
5 to Swell
Swell to Great (reversible)
Great to Pedal (reversible)
Swell to Pedal (reversible)
Oboe Solo 8ft
General Cancel
Toe Pistons
5 to Great and Pedal
5 to Swell
Swell to Great (reversible)
Great to Pedal (reversible)
Full Organ (reversible)
Specification of 1909 Organ before the 1965 rebuild
1935 Duplex electric rotary blower installed by Hill, Norman and Beard
1948 Cleaned and overhauled with re-voicing of Great Trumpet and Swell Cornopean
Manuals, CC to A … … 58 notes
Pedals, CCC to F … … 30 notes
Great Organ
1. Open Diapason, N0.1 … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
2. Open Diapason, N0.2 … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
3. Claribel … … 8ft, wood … 58 pipes
4. Dulciana … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
5. Principal … … 4ft, metal … 58 pipes
6. Harmonic Flute … 4ft, metal … 58 pipes
7. Fifteenth … … 2ft, metal … 58 pipes
8. Trumpet … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
9. Clarinet … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
Swell Organ
10. Lieblich Bourdon … 16ft, metal & wood 58 pipes
11. Open Diapason … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
12. Lieblich Gedact … 8ft, metal & wood 58 pipes
13. Echo Viole … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
14. Voix Celeste … … 8ft, metal … 46 pipes
15. Gemshorn … … 4ft, metal … 58 pipes
16. Harmonic Piccolo … 2ft, metal … 58 pipes
17. Cornopean … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
18. Oboe … … 8ft, metal … 58 pipes
19. Tremulant
Pedal Organ
20. Open Diapason … 16ft, wood 30 notes, 30 pipes
21. Bourdon … … 16ft, wood 30 notes, 30 pipes
22. Flute … … 8ft, wood 30 notes, 12 pipes
Couplers
23. Swell Octave (Pneumatic)
24. Swell Sub-Octave (Pneumatic)
25. Swell to Great (Pneumatic)
26. Swell to Pedals (Mechanical)
27. Great to Pedals (Mechanical)
Accessories
Three Composition Pedals to the Great Organ
Three Composition Pedals to the Swell Organ
One double acting Pedal to the Great to Pedal Coupler
The action throughout is on the builders’ latest system of tubular pneumatic
The wind is supplied by a primary bellows worked by an hydraulic engine,
Each manual is provided with a separate wind reservoir.
The case which is of oak, was designed by the builders.
The following was taken from the ledgers of Morgan and Smith Ltd. 1909.
June. To supplying and erecting a two manual organ as per specification and estimate. £500..0s..0d
July. To supplying and fitting side front in oak. Specially reduced price. £30..0s..0d.
To fitting Oak door complete with furniture. £3..18s..0d.
To supply Oak Organ seat £2..0s..0d.
In the early years of the nineteenth century there was no organ and “the music was provided by four or five men in the gallery under the tower, with bass-viol, flute, oboe and clarionet”. There is evidence of a small instrument situated in the west gallery, which was moved to the south side of the chancel at the time of the 1861-2 restoration, when the gallery was removed. This instrument survived for another thirteen years and was replaced with an organ of 2 manuals, 11 stops and 3 couplers by August Gern of Notting Hill, London. Mr.Robert Taylor then organist of Brighton College gave the opening recital on the 18th of August 1875. The cost of the instrument was £229.10s – raised by subscription, the sale of the old organ realising £30 towards the total. Gern’s organ was a sound instrument, but small and hand-blown. In November 1908 it was decided to replace Gern’s instrument with a “more modern and powerful one”. Messrs. Morgan and Smith,Ltd., of Brighton supplied an estimate of £500 which was accepted by the PCC. The Gern organ being moved across the churchyard to the Baptist Church in Broad Street, where it remained until the early 1970’s when the church was demolished. Members of Seaford Museum then acquired this organ and from there we think through the Dutch Organ Builder Taco Boersma eventually found a home in Holland.
The new organ was given by Mr and Mrs James S. Burroughes, and dedicated in July 1909. In 1965 the organ was rebuilt at a cost of £6,153 by Hill, Norman & Beard, the opening recital being given during the re-dedication service by Dr Francis Jackson, organist of York Minster. During October and November 1989 the organ was cleaned and overhauled by Hill, Norman & Beard. The cost of this was £12,560. In February 2002 a new Trumpet stop was added to the Great organ to replace the one removed in 1965, the 58 pipes being made and voiced by F.Booth & Son Ltd. of Bramley Leeds. Trevor Reed of Lewes carried out the building of the organ wind chest and the installation. (Hill,Norman & Beard having by this time ceased trading). The cost of nearly £8000 was substantially met by a bequest left in 1993 by Sidney Thompson, Deputy Organist for thirty years. The remainder was raised by members of the congregation within a month of an appeal being launched in 2001. The Great organ Trumpet is situated in the Chancel arch above the organ console, making the total number of organ pipes at Seaford Parish Church approximately 1620.
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The first organ installed at Seaford Parish Church (St. Leonard’s Church) was in 1840. This was built by Mr W. Pilcher of Pimlico, standing in the Gallery. The organ stood about 12 Feet high, and 6 feet wide, and cost £100. Prior to this, a couple of musicians (and most likely a finger organ) had been the music provision. In 1853 a ‘Return of music in services’ was requested by the Rural Dean, this showed that out of the seventeen local Churches, only Seaford had an organ. The next Church to gain one was possibly Berwick in 1880.
some Having an organ required an organist, and our first appointed organist was Mr Emanuel Horn. Not much is known from that date until 1875, but we do know that Miss Nunns, Mr R Taylor, and the Rev. William Henry Meade Buck, played at some services between 1844 and 1875. From 1875 our list becomes clearer, but further research may confirm a few questionable dates. In the earlier years, the position of organist was very poorly paid, so unless done on an almost voluntary basis, the organists often moved on quickly.
Our list so far is as follows:-
