Friday 27 June 2014

From Edington to Estonia - new organs for old

Rebuilt Henry Jones organ from Edington Priory, now in Estonia
Edington Priory Church at Edington in Wiltshire has a new organ, built by Harrison and Harrison. The use of the organ is shared between the parish and the annual Edington Music Festival which takes place every August. The new instrument is a gift to the parish from the festival, and will be dedicated by the Bishop of Ramsbury on 23 August followed by a recital from Ashley Grote, a former festival director. The organ will feature heavily in this year's festival which runs from 17 to 24 August 2014, and takes the poetry of George Herbert as its theme.

The old organ, built by Henry Jones in 1905 was becoming problematic, its condition meant that restoration was uneconomic and its sharp pitch made it tricky to use with visiting choirs and instrumentalists. But the organ has not gone altogether, it has been given to the Gustav Adolfi School in Tallin, Estonia. In January this year a team from Estonia, led by the school's headmaster, packed up the organ and it was transported to Estonia which it was due to be inaugurated at the School's Founder's Day celebrations on 6 June 2014.

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