Holy Cross Church Organ
The 1921 Harrison and Harrison Organ
The appointment of Second-Lieutenant Harold C. Organ FRCO as organist and choirmaster of Crediton Church was announced in the March 1915 issue of The Ruridecanal Magazine for the Deanery of Cadbury. In April 1915 Organ took up his position at Holy Cross which he combined with the post of Music Master at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School. Before his appointment at Crediton, Organ was sub-organist of Gloucester Cathedral, articled to Sir George Herbert Brewer, the organist. Organ was chosen out of 102 candidates for the post at Crediton. Sadly, his appointment was only to last nine months. In 1916 Organ joined the Gloucester Regiment to fight in the Great War. The November 1917 issue of the Ruridecanal Magazine contains 2nd Lieut. Organ’s obituary, after he was killed in action on the 9th October 1917.
Before he left to fight, Organ began plans for a scholarship fund to benefit choristers attending Queen Elizabeth’s. Organ also set about acquiring a new organ for the church. His chosen firm was Messrs. Harrison and Harrison of Durham, and he started correspondence with the firm in early 1917. Organ was keen for Harrison’s to have the contract for the organ, and found sympathy with The Revd. Prebendary William Smith-Dorrien. Smith Dorrien had previously been Precentor of Durham Cathedral (the same city where Harrison and Harrison were, and are, based) before his appointment as Rector of Crediton and Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral.[1]
After the death of Harold Organ, his successor, Mr Cyril Church carried on in Organ’s footsteps, and continued to plan a new organ for Crediton with Messrs. Harrison and Harrison. Cyril Church (1871–1954) was previously organist of the Parish Church, Folkestone before moving to Crediton. Mr Church also became Music Master at Crediton High School for girls, and later at the Grammar School. In addition to his duties at Holy Cross and school teaching, Cyril Church found time to compose a number of pieces for choir, organ and chamber music. Novello published some of his music during his time at Crediton, including a booklet of ten hymns and a setting of the Benedicite. In a letter to Arthur Harrison in 1920, we learn that Mr Church has ‘started an organists’ association’, mentioning the words ‘Exeter’ and ‘district’ leading us to believe that it was he who started the Exeter and District Organists’ Association which still exists today. Cyril Church retired as organist in 1944.
The order for the new organ was placed on the 20th October 1918, and on November 18th it was decided that the new organ was to be a ‘Thankoffering for Victory, and as a Memorial for Parishioners who have fallen in the War, one of whom was our late permanently appointed organist’ [2]. By the end of March 1919, £1529 15s 6d of the £3,500 necessary for the new organ had been raised through sponsors and fundraising events, including fairs, the laying of a mile of pennies, competitions and musical evenings. In March 1920 the ‘Organ House’, which survives today, was built in the Rectory garden (the site which is today the church car park) to house the gas-powered blower for the new organ, made by the firm Watkins and Watson.
The instrument that Harold Organ knew at Crediton church, was a three-manual instrument installed by Messers William and John Gray Sons of London, in 1822. The organ had previously been installed in the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, before it was sold and brought to Crediton in 1819. It is believed that this organ contained older pipe-work by ‘Mr England’ and descendants of Father Smith. Owing to war shortages, much of the pipe-work from the Gray instrument was incorporated into the new organ. In the Harrison and Harrison’s archives, we find a note by Arthur Harrison—who designed and voiced the instrument—detailing what pipe-work was to be saved.[3] It appears that most of the flue-work was incorporated into the 1921 organ, except, in Arthur Harrison’s words, ‘2 ghastly reeds’ on the swell. The specification of the organ in this programme shows stops that contain older pipe-work.
The Dedication Service for the new organ took place at 3pm on Wednesday 16th November 1921. The Very Rev. H.R Gamble, Dean of Exeter, preached the sermon in front of the assembled great and good of Crediton, and the Bishop of Crediton blessed the organ. The service concluded with an organ recital played by Dr. Charles Macpherson (1865–1941) who was well known as organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and as a music theorist and professor at the Royal Academy of Music. His programme included J.S Bach’s Passacaglia in C minor as well as pieces by Parry, Rheinberger, Guilmant and Karg-Elert. He ended the service with the Imperial March by Elgar. After Evensong the same day, Mr Church gave an organ recital of pieces by Wagner, Hollins, Mendelssohn and Guilmant, ending with the Toccata from the Organ Symphony No.5 by Widor.
By November 1922 the balance had been paid to Harrison’s by which time 2,548 pipes had been installed. The 32’ flue had also yet to be added when funds allowed, and was eventually installed in 1930 by Harrison and Harrison, with the help of their apprentice, Master Church (Cyril Church’s son), which brought the total number of pipes to 2,555 (as the stop is an extension of the Open Wood 16, and quinted in the bottom 5 notes).
The London architect, W.D Caröe, designer of the memorial to Gen. Sir Redvers Buller (which is placed above the west face of the east Nave archway) was asked to design the case for the new instrument. This case was to be built when further funds allowed—the first priority was the structure and sound of the organ. It was not until the instrument was rebuilt in 2001 by Michael Farley of Budleigh Salterton, however, that the plans for a case were eventually realised. As original drawings for an organ case by Caröe are now lost, a new case was designed by Howard Foreman (Teignmouth) and was made in English oak by the firm Renatus (Bideford). Mr Foreman created his design to fit Caröe’s front pipe arrangement, and based the carving on the panel work of the old balustrade which had been fitted along the console of both the organ 1921 organ and its predecessor.
Steven Martin
[1] The Reredos (situated behind the High Altar) was designed by George Fellowes Prynne and was erected in 1927 as another ‘Thankoffering’, on this occasion for the Rev. Prebendary William Smith-Dorrien, who saw through the project for the new organ.
[2] ‘A New Organ for the Parish Church’ The Ruridecanal Magazine for the Deanery of Cadbury, December 1918, p.5
[3] The stops from the Gray organ included in the Harrison and Harrison instrument are denoted by an asterisk on the specification below.