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Complete description of the selected organ
Reading, United Kingdom (Berkshire) - Holy Trinity Church

Forwarded from: Oxford - All Saints' Church (1800 - 1971)

Municipal: Reading
Address: Oxford Road, RG1 7NE, Reading

Description nr.: 2026139.

Built by: B.C. Shepherd & Son (1979)
The organ contains older material: Organ case from ca. 1800 by George Pike England, Pipes from 1870 by Gray & Davison

Year	Builder	Opus	Activity
1870	Gray & Davison		new organ
1974	Carrington & Barrell		reconstruction
1979	B.C. Shepherd & Son		reconstruction

Holy Trinity Church was built in 1826 to a design by Edward Garbett. In 1845 the church was expanded and partially rebuilt. Flight & Robson installed an organ in 1828. This instrument was replaced in 1870 by a completely new organ from Gray & Davison. This organ was still in its original state when it was rebuilt and expanded by Derrick Carrington and RIchard Barrell in the years 1972-1974. During construction he used, among other things, the organ case of the demolished organ of All Saints' Church in Oxford, and pipework from the organ of Brondesbury Baptist Church, also built by Gray & Davison.
The organ case used in 1972 has been attributed to George Pike England, and is said to date from around 1800. The case was originally located in All Saints' Church on High Street in Oxford, where it stood before 1832. In that year the organ was rebuilt by J.C. Bishop. The local organ builder Charles Martin rebuilt the organ in 1879 and it was modified again by Percy Phipps in 1919. The church building closed in 1971 and was converted into the library of Lincoln College. The organ has been demolished, but the historic case and part of the pipework eventually ended up in Reading.
The organ was rebuilt in 1979 by the company B.C. Shepherd & Son, because there were many problems with its functioning..

Short list of all locations the organ has been

ca. 1800	Oxford	All Saints' Church
1971	Oxford	Lincoln College Library
1979	Reading	Holy Trinity Church

Technical data

Number of stops per division
- Great Organ	9
- Swell Organ	9
- Pedal Organ	8
Total number of stops	26
Key action	Mechanical
Stop action	Mechanical
Windchest(s)	Slider chests

Specification
Great Organ (C-g'''): Bourdon 16', Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Dulciana 8', Principal 4', Twelfth 3', Fifteenth 2', Furniture 4 ranks (19.22.26.29), Trumpet 8'.
Swell Organ (C-g'''): Stopped Diapason 8', Keraulophon 8', Principal 4', Flute 4', Fifteenth 2', Sesquialtera 2 ranks (19.24), Sharp Mixture 3 ranks (26.29.33), Hautboy 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant.
Pedal Organ (C-f'): Grand Open Diapason 16', Grand Bourdon 16', Principal 8', Flute 8', Fifteenth 4', Full Mixture 2 ranks (19.22), Sackbut 16', Regal 4'.
Couplers: Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal.

Other specifications
Different specifications	The 1870 stop list of the Gray & Davison was: Great Organ (C-g'''): Open Diapason 8', Clarinet Flute 8', Dulciana 8', Principal 4', Flute 4', Fifteenth 2'. Swell Organ (C-g'''): Double Diapason 16', Open Diapason 8', Lieblich Gedact 8', Keraulophon 8', Principal 4', Fifteenth 2', Cornopean 8', Oboe 8'. Pedal Organ (C-f'): Grand Bourdon 16'. Coupers: Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal. After the works of 1972-1974, the stop list was: Great Organ: Quintadena 16', Open Diapason 8', Stopt Diapason 8', Octave 4', Twelfth 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Furniture 4 ranks, Trumpet 8'. Swell Organ: Stopt Diapason 8', Keraulophon 8', Principal 4', Nason Flute 4', Recorder 2', Sesquialtera 2 ranks, Sharp Mixture 3 ranks, Hauboy 8', Tremulant. Pedal Organ: Open Diapason 16', Grand Bourdon 16', Octave 8', Flute 8', Fifteenth 4', Mixture 2 ranks, Trombone 16', Shawn 4'.

Other specifications

Different specifications

The 1870 stop list of the Gray & Davison was:
Great Organ (C-g'''): Open Diapason 8', Clarinet Flute 8', Dulciana 8', Principal 4', Flute 4', Fifteenth 2'.
Swell Organ (C-g'''): Double Diapason 16', Open Diapason 8', Lieblich Gedact 8', Keraulophon 8', Principal 4', Fifteenth 2', Cornopean 8', Oboe 8'.
Pedal Organ (C-f'): Grand Bourdon 16'.
Coupers: Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal.

After the works of 1972-1974, the stop list was:
Great Organ: Quintadena 16', Open Diapason 8', Stopt Diapason 8', Octave 4', Twelfth 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Furniture 4 ranks, Trumpet 8'.
Swell Organ: Stopt Diapason 8', Keraulophon 8', Principal 4', Nason Flute 4', Recorder 2', Sesquialtera 2 ranks, Sharp Mixture 3 ranks, Hauboy 8', Tremulant.
Pedal Organ: Open Diapason 16', Grand Bourdon 16', Octave 8', Flute 8', Fifteenth 4', Mixture 2 ranks, Trombone 16', Shawn 4'.

Literature	Holy Trinity and George Pettengell : Some reminiscenses / Leslie Davis. - In: The Berkshire Organist, No. 27, 1974. The organ in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, Reading / John Shepherd. - In: The Berkshire Organist, No. 34, 1981. The organs of Oxford / Robert Pacey, Michael Popkin. - Oxford : Positif Press, 1997.
Links	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Reading