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Three upperwork stops for organ in Illinois Catholic church
We have been asked us to make three stops for the refurbishment of the organ at St Giles Roman Catholic Church, Oak Park, Illinois, USA....
Chris Shires
Aug 16, 20231 min read


The art and craft of making decorative gift pipes
After Terry Doyle had finished working on some very large pipes, we thought it was only right to give him a sit-down job. So he designed...
Chris Shires
Jul 26, 20231 min read


It's a wrap for facade pipes for conservatoire organ
The facade pipes for the new organ in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire are now finished. They were made by Terry Doyle from start to...
Chris Shires
Jul 22, 20231 min read


Restoration of facade pipes for Georgian organ
We were invited by Rob Rowley of Goetze and Gwynn Organ Builders to restore these facade pipes for a one-manual Georgian organ in St...
Chris Shires
Jun 30, 20231 min read


Zinc pipes from Shires gleam in Canadian organ
This wonderful picture by Len Levasseur is of an instrument in Ancaster, Ontario, by the American builder, Wallace Pipe Organs of Maine....
Chris Shires
Jun 16, 20231 min read


New Grand Diapason voiced for Leeds Town Hall organ
Here's the Grand Diapason 8' for the Grand division of the renovated IV/104 Leeds Town Hall organ on the voicing machine at Nicholson and...
Chris Shires
Jun 14, 20231 min read


New geigen principal for Royal Chapel at Windsor
We were delighted to help when our friends at Nicholson & Co. asked us to make a Geigen Principal 4' for The Royal Chapel of All Saints...
Chris Shires
Jun 12, 20231 min read


A chirp off the old block - making nightingale pipes
We receive some unusual commissions, but this flight of fancy ranks sky high among them. We have recently finished making some...
Chris Shires
Jun 11, 20231 min read


Pipes for new organ at Birmingham Conservatoire
Our friends at William Drake Ltd are building a large organ for the organ studio at Birmingham Conservatoire, for which we are making all...
Chris Shires
Jun 9, 20231 min read


Announcing our new company director
We are pleased to announce our new Director, Chris Shires, who has been with the company for over 10 years. Starting as an apprentice,...
Robert Cockroft
Jun 9, 20231 min read


Social media blows our own trumpet over mitred joints
If there's one job that sends pipe makers round the bend, it's making mitres for customers. Mitred joints allow organ pipes to be...
Chris Shires
Mar 14, 20221 min read


Viole Octivante rank for St James' Church, Sydney
Our youngest pipe-maker Chris Shires has just completed a 4' Viole Octaviante rank for our friends at Dobson Organ Builders in Lake City,...
Chris
Dec 13, 20211 min read


Corno di Bassetto among reeds made for Glatter-Götz
We are delighted to be working with Glatter-Götz Organ Builders from Pfullendorf, Germany, making reeds to their specifications....
Chris
Nov 29, 20211 min read


Proud to work on renewal of Leeds Town Hall organ
Shires is delighted and proud to have been invited to work on the renewal and reconstruction of the organ in Leeds Town Hall. Built for...
Chris
Jul 15, 20211 min read


Pipes made for Nicholson organ in Radley College
It has been pleasure making a selection of pipes for the new organ in Radley College, Oxfordshire, which is being built by our friends at...
Chris
Mar 2, 20211 min read


Rounding pipe feet with tools over 100 years old
Chris Shires demonstrates our method of rounding pipe feet using a block and wooden mandrels. The tools he is using – a close up of a...
Chris
Sep 26, 20201 min read


Facade organ pipes – the great cover-up
There's a particular beauty to an organ facade displaying pipes of 80 per cent tin. A great deal of delicate work goes into manufacturing...
Chris Shires
Aug 21, 20201 min read


Restoration of damaged pipes from 1880 instrument
The mangled pipes, above, come from a two-manual Forster and Andrews organ built in 1893 for a church in Scotland and recently installed...
Chris
Jun 18, 20201 min read


Vox Humana completed for large organ in New York
Chris Shires at his workbench making a Vox Humana 8' in the style of the American organ builder Skinner for a large organ in New York....
Chris
Apr 2, 20201 min read


Mighty mitre for eight-foot Hautbois pipes
This tricky sort of mitre work would be enough to send most of us round the bend – but it's just one of the skills in regular use in our...
Chris Shires
Feb 10, 20201 min read
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