Pipe Organ Preservation Co. (of Ireland)

Preserving and rehousing redundant pipe organs from the island of Ireland


Ahorey Presbyterian Church Co. Armagh

The organ in Ahorey Presbyterian Church Co. Armagh was installed in 1963 by George C Barlow of Essex and was a collection of old cinema organ parts badly put together by an amateur (to put it kindly). There were 2 main chambers with 3 ranks in each and a roofspace above the chamcel with 2 more ranks. This was all controlled from a 3 manual and pedal Compton console. By the 1990s only 2 ranks were able to be maintained and the organ was long past the stage for reliable use. The church decided in 2007 to replace it with a better quality pipe organ and at the same time remodel the front area of the church relocating the pulpit to the centre where the console had been.

The Walker extension organ from a closed church in Londonderry was deemed the most suitable replacement instrument. Some parts of it had been damaged or lost by the builders who removed it from the Londonderry church so the best parts of the old Ahorey organ were kept in their place and also a few extra parts to enlarge the organ. These parts included the 2 Wurlitzer swell fronts which remained in place, the 3 stage blower in an outbuilding, the Compton Tuba rank (from the Palace Cinema Ramsgate) and the bottom octave Diaphone 16' which was kept as a bass to the Walker Trumpet rank. Both consoles were unsuitable so another console from a church in Larne was restored with new keyboards and new stop units. A new solid-state transmission system was installed and the whole organ fully refurbished with new electro-magnets and wiring throughout.

Ahorey Presbyterian Church Co. Armagh 2010

Specification

Great
Contra Salicional16C
Open Diapason8A
Rohr Flute8B
Salicional8C
Principal4A
Stopped Flute4B
Salicet4C
Twelfth2 2/3C (top 7, 5-1/3)
Fifteenth2A (top 12 B)
MixtureIIIE
Trumpet8D
Tuba8F

Swell
Open Diapason8A
Rohr Flute8B
Salicional8C
Stopped Flute4B
Salicet4C
Nazard2 2/3B
Flageolet2B
Tierce1 3/5B (top 4, 3-1/5)
Larigot1 1/3B (top 7, 2-2/3)
MixtureIIIE
Double Trumpet16D
Trumpet8D
Clarion4D
Tuba8F

Pedal
Acoustic Bass32B (bot 12, 16+10-2/3)
Bourdon16B
Salicional16C
Octave8A
Bass Flute8B
Salicional8C
Quint5 1/3B
Fifteenth4A
Octave Flute4B
Double Trumpet16D
Trumpet8D

Tremulant

Swell to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Melodic Pedal on Great
Transposer by rotary switch

Compass
Manual CC-c (61 Notes)
Pedals CCC-F (30 Notes)

Basic Ranks
A  Open Diapason	 8 - 4	73 pipes
B  Bourdon/Flute	16 - 2	97 pipes
C  Salicional		16 - 4	85 pipes
D  Trumpet		16 - 4	85 pipes
E  Mixture		 3-rks	75 pipes
F  Tuba		   	 8	61 pipes
476 pipes

Electro-pneumatic action to Tuba & basses, direct electric action to remainder
Organ divided in chambers on either side of chancel area (Tuba + 16' basses in left chamber & main ranks in right chamber)
Detached stopkey console
Whole organ enclosed & controlled from single balanced swell pedal

Builder : J W Walker & Sons Ltd 1953 (built for Claremont Presbyterian Church Londonderry)
Enlarged & Installed : Pipe Organ Preservation Co Belfast 2009


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