A Guidebook to St John in the Oaks Jersey – Part 6
10. The Organs
Church records show that an organ, built by Mr. George Fentum of Beresford Street, Jersey, was installed in the church in 1850, although its exact location is uncertain. It was recorded in 1858 that the organ was tuned. By 1880, this organ was reported to be worn-out and beyond repair, the woodwork being worm-eaten, the leather perished and the pipes only fit to be sold as scrap metal.
For the next half-century, its
place was taken by a wheezy harmonium. In 1935, the church was wired for electricity
and in 1938 a Hammond Electronic organ was installed. This instrument survived
at St. John until 1968 but then lived out the remainder of its useful life in
another church in the Island.
The present organ was built in
1884 by Eustace Ingram of London and Edinburgh and was originally installed in
Great Union Road Methodist Church in St. Helier. The only other
locally-installed organ by this builder (so far as can be ascertained) was the
original pipe organ in St. Lawrence Church, which itself was replaced in 1965.
The 1884 instrument (of some 14 stops) was hand-blown, but in 1935, an electric
blower was installed.
In 1938, a more extensive
renovation was undertaken by James Ivemey and Cooper, including a new pedal
board with pneumatic action, three additional stops and a re-ordering of the
console. This, as now, remained on the right-hand-side of the organ case.
In 1967-1968, on the closure of
the Great Union Road Methodist Church, the organ was bought for £250 and placed
in its present position, a position which failed to take into account the
problems of the organist's liaison with the choir. The present day insurance
value of the organ stands at some £210,000.
Nothing was done to the organ
when it was installed in 1968, and consequently, by 1983, it was obvious that
extensive renovation was a matter of priority to preserve the instrument. An
examination of the bellows showed that they were quite literally fit to burst.
These had to be completely re-leathered at considerable cost. A new pedal board
was fitted but, unfortunately, a plan to electrify the pedal action had to be
shelved because of the high cost, although it remained a priority for the
overall improvement of the organ.
Tonally, the organ had always
lacked sparkle and to remedy this, the Vox Celeste and Oboe were removed on the
Swell to make way for a Fifteenth 2 ft. and a Larigot 1 1/3 ft.
By 1991, the pedal pneumatic
action had become increasingly unreliable, the leather work showing the ravages
of time and in many instances the pneumatic motors were far beyond repair and
needed complete renewal. The conversion of the pedal action to electro-pneumatic
formed an important part in the renovation completed in 1992-1993. A Flute 4
ft. was added to the pedal, pipe-work extended up from the 16 ft. and 8 ft.
stops, along with three electronically generated pedal reeds (at 16 ft., 8 ft.
and 4 ft.), and Flues at 32 ft. and 16 ft. The necessary electronic circuitry,
together with a large speaker measuring some 4 ft. high by 2 ft. square, were
placed underneath the organ close to the blower motor.
These additions have improved the
overall tonal qualities of the organ beyond measure. The pedal organ now speaks
independently of the manuals, when required, and the console has been altered
slightly to accommodate six new stop knobs.
The present specification is as
follows:-
The church also possesses a Miller digital organ of some 20 stops. The instrument, which was given to the Church in memory of a former churchwarden and his wife, originally dates from about 1965 but has recently been completely rebuilt with digital circuitry.
The console is behind the choir
stalls on the South side of the chancel, with two large speakers concealed
behind a screen in the arch over the central crossing.
11. Kneelers and Pew Cushions
The Parish Church is a truly
beautiful building and at the dawn of this new millennium a project is underway
to produce new furnishings which will further contribute to the aesthetic
attractiveness of this special place.
12. The Churchyard
Sometime during the first half of the 19th Century, the churchyard was tidied up and some granite grave markers were built into the West boundary wall. Some old marker stones from the churchyard were also incorporated into the Parish cemetery wall, when a new entrance was constructed in 1993 (Sir Billy Butlin is buried in the cemetery, which lies to the West of the Church within walking distance.).
The main gates of the Churchyard, with built-in poor box and Parish box (housing the official municipal notice board), stood originally on the corner, providing speedy access to Parish hall and public house!
At the foot of the steeple is the base of a wayside cross which came from Les Buttes, dated circa 15th century. A few metres further along the South wall are several large pebbles marked with initials, which served as home-made memorial headstones. The churchyard trees include both a number of yews - the traditional churchyard tree, and several oaks – once again bringing life to our historical name of St John in the Oaks.
13. Conclusion
We trust that you have enjoyed
reading the history of our Parish Church and invite you to find out more about
our life by visiting us on the World Wide Web at www.stjohnschurch.org.je
This account of St John's Church,
by its very nature, is not exhaustive and the possibility is that it is not
free from errors. Nevertheless, we hope that your final impressions will be
those of the Psalmist, who wrote about the Temple in Jerusalem: "How
lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!... blessed is the man who
trusts in you. (Psalm 84).
St John, June 2000
A Celtic blessing on setting
forth
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind always be at your
back,
May the sun shine warm upon your
face,
The rains fall soft upon your
fields;
And, until we meet again, may
God hold you in the palm of His
hand.
The Millennium Resolution:
Let there be respect for the
earth,
peace for its people,
love in our lives,
delight in the good,
forgiveness for past wrongs
and from now on, a new start.
Acknowledgements
We are most grateful to Rev.
Michael G. St. J. Nicolle B. A. for much of the historical research that went
into the production of this booklet. We also wish to thank Mr. Roger Hibbeard
of Rose Deep, St. John, for his invaluable assistance in the typesetting and
editing. Photographs by Tony Bellows.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment