Vincent Coggin

Here is a selection of the major projects I have completed over the years:

2012 Our Lady of the Crays RC Church, St Mary Cray, Kent.

Formerly St Joseph’s RC Church.

I had been looking after the organ at St Joseph’s church since the mid 1980s. This church was built in the late 1950s/60s at a time when this then rural area had plans to be developed. However this did not materialise to the expected degree, this then left a smaller congregation with a vast building of some 7,000 cubic mtrs.

A pipe organ was installed by Harris of Birmingham, to a scheme by the then parish priest Fr. Philip Mathias. The organ was a 2 manual and pedal of 25 stops, and though put together competently was in fact made up from used pipes and chests of doubtful provenance. Divided behind 2 new simple cases placed either side of the chancel and with a detached console on the south side.  Individually the ranks had little to recommend them but as an ensemble they sounded impressive, due almost entirely to the cathedral-like 4.5 second reverberation period.

The decision to demolish and redevelop the site was really a matter of time as it became too costly to heat and to maintain this vast building.  The sheer height of the roof with its integral lighting was as impractical as was the clerestory single-glazed windows, and so it was the eventual failure of the heating boiler that finally sealed its fate.

On the other hand the organ worked well and was generally reliable though now showing its age, but it was this lack of pedigree that meant it was not suitable to remove, store and rebuild. To give a typical example of the organ’s pipework the swell oboe 16ft had been made up from 3 different oboe ranks!

Since commissioning a new instrument had not been planned for in the redevelopment, it was decided an instrument would be sought for the interim, and then a new organ could be planned for the future.
Only a small area in the new church building could be made available for a pipe organ and so a search went out for something suitable. A small Rushworth & Dreaper organ built new in 1962 became available in Bristol, and this is the organ that has now been installed.

The organ is built on the extension principle and has 4 ranks which has now been extensively re-modelled and increased in size by 1 stop.

The 4 ranks are: Diapason, Salcional, Flute and Trumpet. I have extended the Trumpet a further octave down to 16ft pitch and added an independent 2 rank Mixture. Incidentally this 2 rank Mixture is the only surviving stop from the previous Harris organ, it was a new stop that had been added later. On the previous organ it shrieked its head off having not been properly regulated, thus was rarely used.  Still, it is a fine stop and has been sympathetically re-voiced to suit the new building. The addition of this Mixture greatly enhances the limited palette of this organ.

The original R&D specification has now been extensively remodelled, in effect creating an entirely new stop list. The addition of a new independent Mixture to the lower manual and the completion of the Trumpet to 16ft pitch has instigated this review and has brought the stop list more in line with today’s expectations.

The console has also undergone a major refit. The 1960s stop tabs have been replaced by drawstops arranged in terraces. An entirely new electronic switching and combination system has been provided, and with that comes a plethora of playing aids.

The instrument is now complete and in regular use.  Father William Agley, the then parish priest has written, “Thank you so much for taking on this project, and for producing such a lovely organ for the new church. I really do appreciate all your efforts and am delighted with the result”

2008 Our Lady of Victories (St Mary’s) RC Church, Clapham, London

The 1896 Alfred Hunter† organ was removed from its original position over the west door to the south side chapel in 1930 when some tonal additions were made by Hunter. This move necessitated a reduction in width of the façade of which the pipes are now placed internally. The bass and treble end returns were then placed side by side to create what is now a slightly odd twin façade.

The Hunter tonal additions were a high pressure 8ft Tromba and the Pedal 16ft Trombone, very much in the Edwardian style with the Tromba somewhat overpowering the Great organ. A period Hunter Trumpet rank was found, re-voiced for the spare Great slide that had originally been designated for a reed stop. 2008 saw a complete overhaul of the winding system and the completion of the partial electrification started in 1964 by Hill, Norman & Beard. The “sumptuous” Herbert Norman console was refitted with all new switching to include a multi-level combination system that was installed without interfering with the original controls. The piston setter button was placed next to the blower switch at the bass end of the keyboards. In 1964 HN&B also made several tonal changes to the Swell Choir and Pedal. These changes have been retained with the exception of replacing a composite Pedal 4ft Fifteenth with a period Hunter diapason rank.

2004 Holy Trinity, Clapham, London (N18020)

50 stops, 3 manuals and pedals by Alfred Hunter, 1910. Key and pedal actions electrified in 1988 when electromagnets replaced the pneumatic under-actions. These proved to be poor in response but sadly the original under-actions had been lost. In 2004 all new electro-pneumatic under-actions were fitted to the Great, Swell and Choir organs, also new magnetic actions to the reed chests.  I would like to thank Peter Hindmarsh of Cardiff for his help with this project in restoring the under-actions.

A new Great Mixture IV has also now been installed, replacing the sharp Mixture III added to the Great in 1988. The new Mixture has been formed and scaled following a pattern favoured by Hunter circ. 1910.

Project consultant: John Norman.

2002 St Andrew, Coulsdon, Surrey

Hill 1903 / Peter Collins 1964. Major restoration. Re-leathering of all wind reservoirs including all new wood wind trunks. New Great Open Diapason façade pipes.

Project consultant: John Norman.

A major aspect of the work was the remodelling of the console from stop-tabs to an all Draw-stop console including a new bi-level combination system.

2001 Holy Spirit, Clapham, London

A. Hunter & Son 1921/Gt&Sw completed. The original specification of 3 manuals 31 stops stopped short of installing the Choir organ and a couple of ranks to the Great and Pedal. However the console was completed so the full specification of the intended instrument is clear. The existing organ was fully restored to its 1921 condition.

The organ is currently undergoing the completion of the intended 1921 specification and a special feature on this fine instrument is planned to appear on this website when completed.

1992 St Mary Magdalen RC Church, Wandsworth, London

New Organ, 2 manuals 12 stops. Built in partnership with Stephen Cooke of Westbury, Wiltshire. The new instrument has been placed within this large footprint of the previous organ as to reduce it would have meant structural changes to the gallery built of solid concrete. The previous organ had tracker action but of a very poor design. The blower, wind reservoir and Swell box have been incorporated into the new organ. New slider chests were made for the Swell and Great and new mechanical key, pedal and stop actions made. Some of the pipework has been retained and all else is new. The organ speaks to the East though the console is placed on the side to retain a good view of the chancel. The case was raised to contain the Swell box and Great Open Diapason. Due to organisational changes made at the time within the parish the organ though playable, remains unfinished and incomplete.

1990 St Andrew, Southgate, London

1990. Relocated from Christ Church, Albany Street. “Father” Henry Willis organ 1867. Originally built for the Second Duke of Wellington, for his home at Stratfield Saye, it was sold to Albany Street in 1965. In the late 1970s an unidentified organ builder was persuaded to remove the original Oboe 8ft in the Swell replacing it with a new 2 rank mixture, also removing the Great Viola 8ft with a 12th. It is hoped that one day these ranks can be restored.

1984-1993 & 2009 All Souls, Harlesden, London

(The view of the church from the top of the swell box can be seen on the welcome page).

The restoration project began in 1984 with a cleaning, the re-leathering of the wind reservoirs and pneumatic key actions of this 1903, 3 manual, 27 stop Norman & Beard. For reasons of access to and maintenance of the console electrification of the stop controls was permitted, this also allowed for the installation of thumb pistons, therefore a new multi-level combination system.

† A note on the London organ builder Alfred Hunter, who was active between 1855 and 1911 was in the words of the organ historian John Norman “..a local builder with a national reputation..” his workshops were in fact in the centre of Clapham. Not that surprising then that this was recognised by the many local churches who commissioned their instruments from him. The company continued into the twentieth century under his son Robert before eventually being taken over by Henry Willis.