NEWS FROM OUR WORKSHOP

It was a great pleasure to receive positive feedback on our work from one of our customers in America.

Among the reed pipes we have made for the Ortloff Organ Company of Massachusetts is this 8' Trumpet stop of zinc with spotted metal bells.

It is to be installed in a new organ being built by Ortloff for St Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Shoreline in Washington State.

Jonathan Ortloff kindly wrote on Facebook: 'We are lucky to be able to work with some of the best suppliers in the pipe organ business, including Shires Organ Pipes of Leeds, England.

'They have completed the two reed stops for our Opus 2 in Shoreline WA. The next pipes will be shipped here for racking next week and then to Chris Broome for voicing.'

Chris Shires spent a day casting these languids to be fitted into some large-scale Open pipes we are making for a leading organ builder. The brass bar is placed inside to prevent sagging. The diameter of the bar is 3mm Didier, the languid will get three pipes in the higher end of the 16ft octave.

George Fowler has been making mixtures for over 50 years – and as these pictures show, he’s rather good at it.

He began making separate ranks when he was an apprentice at FJ Rogers in Bramley, Leeds, and progressed to making multiple ranks for an entire stop 40 or so years ago.
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At present he is making a VI rank mixture, above, for an organ builder in America – that’s 335 pipes in total (and 670 pieces to solder) – made from 80 per cent tin.

Shortly before starting work on the VI rank mixture, George completed a IV rank mixture. He reckons the total time from cutting out the metal to completion of 560 pipes for both stops is about 240 hours. 

A meticulous worker who takes pride in each pipe, he says the secrets of good pipe making are patience and dedication. “The important thing is to set it off right, to get the job right from the beginning. Preparation is key.”

And at 71, there are plenty more pipes to make and seams to solder. “I still enjoy my work, it keeps me going,” he says.

NEWS UPDATE: All of the reeds for our friends at Noack Organ builders are completed. They will be installed in a new organ for St Peter's on Capitol Hill, Washington DC. We are delighted to have worked on this project!

The Three Choirs Festival is a major event in the British musical calendar, so it was an honour to take part in this year's festival in Hereford.

Our managing director, Terry Shires, talked about about his career in pipe making and the history of the trade in All Saints' Church, High Street, Hereford, on August 3.

During the well-received session, he also gave a demonstration of pipe making by creating a replica of the middle C Great Principal pipe in the organ at Worcester Cathedral.

He says: "I have done many demonstrations like this over the years, and I always ask for a volunteer to have a go at soldering. Kris Johnston made a great job and I presented her with the pipe I finished and voiced."

In other news, we are delighted to be working with the distinguished American reed voicer, Chris Broome, who specialises in voicing reeds made by Skinner. Broome & Co was established in East Granby, Connecticut, in 1998 by Chris and David Broome to satisfy a need in the pipe organ industry for quality voicing and organ pipe reconditioning and repair services.

Their company is recognised as a specialist in the restoration of reed stops in pipe organs by major 20th century North American organ builders. We look forward to helping them in any way we can.

When the authorities who care for the Lewis organ in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, wondered how to collect donations for the instrument's upkeep, the penny quickly dropped.

​They turned to Shires – and we were delighted to make an 8ft Principal display pipe from polished zinc complete with a slot for notes or coins. It contains a canister to receive the money and a padlocked hinged plate at the rear to access it.

​The three-manual Kelvingrove organ, of 48 speaking stops, was built in 1901and hired from Lewis for the Glasgow International Exhibition of the same year. It was bought by the Glasgow Corporation in 1902 and moved to the new art gallery.

In 1941, the gallery was damaged during an air raid and the organ was considered unplayable. Repairs were made and the instrument was fortunate to escape any attempts to modernise it. The organ continued to flourish until the mid-1970s, when its condition deteriorated, and a full restoration became necessary.
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For enthusiasts, the glory of the instrument is the retention of its character as an outstanding example  late 19th century organ building. This is the specification.