St. Mary the Virgin, Ewell/The Organ
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History
The organ of the parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Ewell was originally built in 1889 by the famous organ builder Henry Willis. When Henry was 14 he was apprenticed to John Gray (who would later become a partner of the well-respected firm of Gray and Davison. However, there was in 1975 a real risk that the latter church was to be closed, so, to protect the organ's future, they sold it to Saint Mary's, which had lost a similar instrument in a fire two years previously. However, in an ironic twist of fate, the church in Highbury was reprieved just days after the organ was removed and another nearby church, dedicated to St. John, closed instead (whose rather smaller organ was installed at St. Augustine's). The Ewell organ was installed in its new home by the Liverpool-based firm of Rushworth and Dreaper (well-known for the poor tonal qualities of their organs), but was left much as it had originally been built. This superb instrument is, despite its prestigious origins (it was often regarded as the best of several similar instruments built in the Highbury area), comparatively little-known. The Vicar of Ewell, the Parochial Church Council, the Director of Music and the Sub-organist have decided that efforts should be made to redress this situation and, to that end, are to promote the instrument through a number of recitals and concerts, the particulars of which can be viewed [here].External links
- [The organ's page on the official website of Saint Mary the Virgin, Ewell]
- [The Music Events page on the same site]
- [Specification of the first organ at Ewell on the National Pipe Organ Register]
- [Specification of the current organ at Ewell on the National Pipe Organ Register]
Gallery
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