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Since St. Peter’s Church has ceased to be used for regular worship, the question of the fate of the extremely fine 1898 Foster & Andrews three manual pipe organ, which has been handed down to us by a past generation, has been uppermost in many people’s minds. The present day replacement value is no less than £33,000, and it is constructed of such quality of timber and metal as is quite unobtainable today.
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If removed, restored and re-erected in St. Marys’s Church, which any day now will become our Parish Church, it would, without any doubt, be one of the finest parish Church organs in this county.
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Reports are being tendered by Messrs. Jardine & Co of Manchester and Messrs Percy Daniels of Clevedon, for the restoration of the organ and to re-erect it in St. Mary’s Church. It seems that the cost, excluding the charge for site preparation and electrical work, will be about £5,500. The cost is an indication of the amount of skilled craftsmanship necessary in this complete overhaul which would take at least three months. The restored instrument will give the best possible organ tone and will assist the choir and congregation in choral worship as never before.
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The removal of St. Peter’s organ has now been made a matter of extreme urgency on three scores. Firstly, the organ in St. Peter’s is deteriorating very fast in the damp unheated building and if left any longer will not be salvageable. Secondly, the dilapidated organ at St. Mary’s is rapidly grinding to a halt, and, according to the recent report is “worn out, not worth considering for any other building, is in no way worthy of the Church in which it is set, and should be discarded”. Thirdly, inflation is now a rapid process, the cost of organ building being in no way exempt. If these estimates are left for even a year, the cost of the same work could rise by as much as £2,000.
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We are now in a position to put this work in hand as the result of an extremely generous interest free loan, made available specifically for St. Peter’s organ’s removal, restoration and rebuilding in St. Mary’s. This will enable us to commence the work in the New Year. A faculty for the removal of the organ to St. Mary’s is being applied for and no difficulties are anticipated in this direction. The loan will require repayment as soon as possible. We are extremely grateful for it, as otherwise this magnificent organ would be lost to us for ever.
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John Pemberton
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