History
For hundreds of years the central casework of the organ at Bishop Street has been admired for its carving and design. It is an example of the work of a famous organ-builder, Bernard Schmidt. Bernard Schmidt, or Father Smith as he is generally called, a German, came to England in l660 at the time of the Restoration, when there was so much work to be done repairing and restoring organs which had been damaged or destroyed in the civil wars. His knowledge and experience of the larger organs on the continent, his superb skill, and his employment at the court of Charles II soon gave him first place among the English organ builders, and in 1681 he was appointed King's Organ Maker.
He was a very conscientious worker, always very particular in his selection of wood and metal, which, no doubt, accounts for the excellent condition of much of his work after centuries of time. The original Father Smith organ, although not built for St. Margaret's Church, Leicester, was installed there in 1773. About 1858, when that organ was rebuilt, the case was discarded and came into the hands of Messrs. Groves and Mitchell, of London, who in turn sold it to Bishop Street Methodist Church with a new organ inside it.
The present organ is a combination of the old and the new. Whilst the old mechanical action has been discarded, the beautiful tone of the old pipework and the magnificent oak carvings are retained and incorporated with a combination of mechanical action pipework and electronic controls.
The State It's In!
Naturally an organ like this doesn't stay perfect for ever! It needs both regular maintenance and longer-term overhauls. Materials such as the leather controlling many pipes is now deteriorating, and urgent work is needed by professional (and expensive!) organ builders.
Our organist Martin is currently challenged with playing an organ which is 'running on only three cylinders', compensating for the parts which are out of tune or 'sound funny'!
Please consider donating money to help restore this organ. See the Appeal page.
