Newsletter Special Supplement
As this month, April 1993, will witness an important occasion for our church with the installation of the Allen organ it is appropriate to acknowledge the achievement represented by the organ that has served us for nearly 50 years. It is no ordinary musical instrument; it has a very special place in the history of the church at Queen’s Road. Its uniqueness is confirmed in a press cutting that recorded “This is probably the first occasion in England which a group of men, each a craftsman in his own particular line, have built an electrically driven organ for their church when finances made it impossible to buy a new one.” Another press item found “so remarkable” the fact that the “Electro-pneumatic organ” should have been built by one family assisted by church members – Mr & Mrs Robert Liquorish senior, Percy & Hettie Liquorish, Ken & Jessie Liquorish, Ernest Mellors, Albert Williams and Fred Mellors with the supervision of the designer Mr C Trapp.
The predecessor of the new “electro-pneumatic” organ had been one brought from the defunct church premises on Chapel Street, Beeston.
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“When I started Sunday School in 1913 there was an old organ that required a team – the Maestro and his blower of almost equal importance. It helped if they had a sort of rapport one with the other. In the back of the organ, there was a vertical slot from which protruded a lever; an up and down movement of this lever supplied the air to the bellows. Also there was a nut suspended on a piece of string that provided the blower with the means to judge his activity. As the bellows filled the nut dropped lower and it lifted higher as the air was used up. It was not a place to daydream; inattention could lead to the organ expiring with a wail like the birth of the blues. Quiet tunes, like for instance “Lead kindly light” needed only the gentle undulations almost a caress, while some of the old Methodist ‘ranters’ like “When the roll is called up yonder” at full throttle required vigorous pumping – but quietly!
I recall one memorable Sunday when the regular blower failed to turn up, there was a request from the pulpit for a replacement. Before I or any other of the reservists could jump up, a man of rather scruffy appearance volunteered. Unfortunately, when the organ started it became obvious that the man’s enthusiasm far outweighed his expertise. The resultant clatter was appalling while the organist struggled manfully with intermittent blasts of wind. Everyone was frightened to death and fears were expressed for the safety of the instrument until the man was lead, triumphant but bewildered, back to his pew.
It was about then that I left the church, and was away for a good number of years – when I returned, an event which a colleague of those days referred to as my “second coming” I found considerable changes had happened to the old organ.
No longer was the organist tucked away almost out of sight, but now occupied a position of some prominence in full view of everyone. I must confess when I first encountered this situation, ribald, if not irreverent thoughts occurred to me. It would, I thought, round off the service nicely, if, to the strains of “Now the day is over” the whole caboodle, maestro and all, sank slowly out of sight, like at the Ritz Cinema… – it must have occurred to others as well as me.
All that was a long time ago, the old organ has given years of good service since then but now it is time to go. When I did a lot of cycling, there were times after a long, hard ride, I’d dismount, pat my saddle and mutter, “Good owd gel” or a similar term of endearment. Perhaps we owe the organ such a gesture, and express the hope that its successor, that model of electronic and computerised wizardry, will serve us as well.”
George Hughes
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The meeting of the Trustees in February 1945 recorded their thanks to the builders of the organ for “their patience and perseverance”. It is a line in the Minute Book that hardly conveys the remarkable achievement undertaken in wartime Britain. When bombs fell on Beeston the organ had a miraculous escape. Part of the organ was under construction at the Liquorish family home on Mona Street and that night the houses on either side were bomb damaged. The same night a bomb fell on Queen’s Road, very close to the church itself. To embark on such a project during the uncertainties of the war shows a great faith that one day things would return to normal. Added to that were the shortages the war caused creating extra difficulties for the enterprise.
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“It all dates from around 1942 when the trustees of the Church made the momentous decision to replace the existing organ, with one designed and built by amateurs, in their spare time.
The original organ and console was in a chamber now occupied by the pipes of the existing organ and it had to be hand pumped. Access was by means of a narrow passage around the organ and if one wanted to play, the going rate for a ‘pumper’ was 6d (old pence) an hour (2½p).
The present organ was constructed in various homes and brought to the church for assembly and final wiring. I well remember the keyboard action, whilst it was being wired, being on the dining room table for 6 months, meals being relegated to the kitchen. Each wire had to be tested electrically before soldering and on one particular note we had a short circuit and despite all efforts, the fault could not be traced. Several days later, upon waking up during the night, the possible cause occurred to me. Going downstairs and slightly loosening a woodscrew solved the problem.
We spent many cold nights working on the church premises and welcomed the cheery fires, made for us in the vestries by the then caretaker Mr A. Wright.
Shortages of the correct materials was a major problem, particularly so in the case of the pallets inside the soundboards, which are full of pressurised air from the electric blower. When the pallets are opened, the pipes above them sound, but when they are closed they must be air tight. To achieve this, a thin sheepskin is fitted to the operational face. As sheepskins were not available, an appeal was made to the Ladies of the church for old felt hats and coats, which were then cut up and fitted accordingly. The great day came when the organ pipes were fitted, the blower started, and horror upon horror, all the pipes played at once. A cacophony of sound. The felt was of course porous, and allowed air through it, necessitating a further 3 months work.
A further instance was the use of “Rexine Covers” from old prams, which was used for hinges and joints on various moving parts. The electric blower wheel was a problem, as the blades kept flying off under speed. The tremulant was a further problem being difficult to regulate.
The ultimate problem came, when after 2½ years the organ was completed and it had to be tuned. No one would take on the job. It so happened that the plight was printed in the Nottingham Post newspaper and was noticed by a local organ builder. He offered to tune it and eventually provided a new blower and tremulant, both of which are still working today. He became a friend of the family and his son-in-law still tunes the organ.”
Ken Liquorish
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The “New Organ” was described in the 1950 Church Jubilee Souvenir. “The old organ of 1½ manuals and a few pipes has been the basis with new pipes being added to the ½ manual to complete the compass. The organ has electric action, detached console, with 30 stop keys, numerous double touch pistons, toe pistons, full organ pedal and two swell pedals to control volume of sound from the organ which is totally enclosed.”
The local Newspaper reported that “… members of the Queen’s Road Methodist Church, Beeston have built a new electro-pneumatic organ at a cost of £250. Yesterday a civic party headed by Coun. W. Ireland (Chairman of Beeston & Stapleford Urban District Council) and representatives of the local authority attended a service conducted by Iram G. Wall.”
That referred to a special Dedication service held on Sunday 29th October 1944. It was followed by an afternoon Concert of popular instrumental and vocal music. Finally at 6 p.m. there was a Grand Musical Service with the Rev. George Midgley. The programme informed the public, helpfully, that the No.5a bus passed the church doors.
About twenty five years later the organ underwent a major renovation. Again Percy Liquorish with the assistance of his father and Johnny Hauxwell embarked on a long overhaul of all the parts. This time by knowing the right contacts sheepskin was available. During the period of three years that the work was carried out there was always an organ, either the swell or the great organ, available to be played at Sunday Service, which often involved working late into Saturday evening.
But an unanticipated hazard was discovered as ‘Granpa’ Liquorish worked on restoring the wind motors. Unknowingly he was exposed to the effects of using an adhesive; the inhalation of the fumes made him a little, well, light headed.
In order to reach various parts of the organ floorboards had to be taken up and it was revealed the pulpit contains a trapdoor. The incumbent Minister was warned that the trapdoor mechanism could be released at a touch of an organ stop. Perhaps this little known fact explains why Ken always moves to the side of the organ during the sermon. It is to resist exercising the power he has at his finger tips.
When the work was completed there was a Dedication Concert held on Saturday 4th December 1971 with guest organist, 2 violinists and solo soprano.
During the Flower Festival held in 1987 I was surprised at the number of visitors who wanted to take a turn at playing the organ. I was never sure whether they were just keen organists or because of the reputation of our famous organ.
Now we say farewell to the ‘pneumatic organ’ and welcome the ‘digital computer organ’. It is an occasion to salute the work of all those who have built, maintained and played the organ over the years to ensure the vital musical accompaniment to our worship at Queen’s Road.
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Robert Dawson
April 1993
With grateful thanks for the assistance of Ken & Jessie Liquorish, George Hughes, Hettie & Elaine Liquorish and archive material including the ‘lost’ Scrapbook of Dorothy Marvin.