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Complete description of the selected organ
Photo: Frans Sellies. Date: 8 August 2010.

Photo: Frans Sellies

London, United Kingdom (Greater London) - Chapel Royal of Saint Peter-ad-Vincula - Her Majesty's Tower of London (City)
Municipal: London
Address: St Katharine's & Wapping, EC3N 4AB, London
Website: http://www.thechapelsroyalhmtoweroflondon.org.uk/

Description nr.: 2006618.

Built by: Orgues Létourneau (2002) - opus 70
The organ contains older material: Organ case from 1699 by Bernard "Father" Smith

YearBuilderOpusActivity
1676 Bernard "Father" Smith  new organ
1814 Thomas Elliot  new organ in old case
1844 William Hill & Sons  restoration and enlargement
1877 William Hill & Sons  enlargement
1891 William Hill & Sons  transfer/relocate
1953 William Hill & Sons  rebuild
1977 Norman & Beard Hill  reconstruction
1993 Mander Organs  maintenance/reparations
2002 Orgues Létourneau70 new organ

  • In 1676, Bernard Smith built a new organ for the Chapel Royal in Whitehall. It had three manuals with nineteen stops. The organ was largely renovated in 1814 by Thomas Elliott. In 1844 a conversion and expansion followed by William Hill, who made a fourth manual and placed the Choir Organ in a new positive in the gallery. Advisor for this work with Richard Massey, organist at the Whitehall Chapel. In 1877 another expansion by Hill followed, under the advice of Charles Sherwood Jekyll, organist of the chapel since 1877.
  • In 1891 it was restored by the Hill company and transferred to the Saint Peter-ad-Vincula chapel in the Tower. The positive was removed. Even in the twentieth century, the organ was modified several times by Hill. The action was pneumatized in 1953. Hill, Norman & Beard reconstructed the instrument in 1977 with mechanical action and new slider chests. Noel Mander carried out a revision in 1993.
  • The interior was eventually replaced around 2002 by a completely new instrument, built by the Canadian company Létourneau.

Short list of all locations the organ has been
1676LondonChapel Royal, Whitehall
1891LondonChapel Royal of Saint Peter-ad-Vincula - Her Majesty's Tower of London (City)

Technical data
Number of stops per division
- Great Organ10
- Swell Organ13
- Pedal Organ7
Total number of stops30
Key actionMechanical
Stop actionMechanical
Windchest(s)Slider chests

Specification
Great Organ: Bourdon 16', Open Diapason 8', Chimney Flute 8', Principal 4', Conical Flute 4', Nazard 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Tierce 1 3/5', Mixture 4 ranks, Trumpet 8', Tremulant.
Swell Organ: Violin Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Viola da Gamba 8', Voix Celeste 8', Principal 4', Open Flute 4', Recorder 2', Nineteenth 1 1/3', Mixture 4 ranks, Bassoon 16', Trumpet 8', Oboe 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant.
Pedal Organ: Contrabass 16', Subbass 16', Principal 8', Bourdon 8', Choral Bass 4', Posaune 16', Trumpet 8'.
Couplers: Swell to Great, Great to Pedals, Swell to Pedals.

Other specifications
Different specifications
  • The specification from 1909 (notation Charles William Pearce) was:
    Great Organ (C-g'''): Double Diapason 16', Open Diapason 8', Clarabel 8', Cone Gamba 8', Principal 4', Harmonic Flute 8' (4'?), Twelfth 3', Fifteenth 2', Mixture 3 ranks, Posaune 8'.
    Choir Organ (C-g'''): Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Dulciana 8', Lieblich Flute 4', Principal 4', Flautina 2', Bassoon 16', Clarinet 8'.
    Swell Organ (C-g'''): Bourdon 16', Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Viol da Gamba 8', Principal 4', Celestina 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture 3 ranks, Oboe 8', Cornopean 8', Clarion 4'.
    Pedal Organ (C-f'): Open Diapason 16', Bourdon 16', Violon 8', Posaune 16'.
    Couplers: Swell to Great, Choir to Swell, Great to Pedal, Choir to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Great Suboctave.
    Accessories: 3 composition pedals to Great, 2 composition pedals to Swell.

  • After the 1977 restoration, the stop list was:
    Great Organ (C-g'''): Double Diapason 16', Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Principal 4', Nason Flute 4', Twelfth 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Cornet 5 ranks (discant), Mixture 3 ranks, Posaune 8'.
    Choir Organ (C-g'''): Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Principal 4', Stopped Flute 4', Gemshorn 2', Larigot 1 1/3', Bassoon 8', Clarinet 8'.
    Swell Organ (C-g'''): Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Viola da Gamba 8', Voix Celestes 8' (TC), Principal 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture 3 ranks, Contra Oboe 16', Cornopean 8', Clarion 4'.
    Pedal Organ (C-f'): Bourdon 16', Principal 8', Flute 8', Spitz Flute 4', Quartane 2 ranks, Trombone 16'.

Literature
  • Notes on Old London City churches, their organs, organists, and musical associations / Charles William Pearce. - London : The Vincent Music Company Ltd., [1908].
  • The organs of the City of London : From the Restoration to the Present / Nicholas M. Plumley. - Oxford : Positif Press, 1996.
Recordings Music for Organ from the Tower of London / Colm Carey. - London Independent Records LIR 004 (CD).
Links https://www.letourneauorgans.com/organs/opus-70